A Freak Once Again
by DarkFairy207
Summary: Takes place 7 years after The Last Stand. The cure has worn off and Rogue is back to avoiding skin-on-skin contact which is going to be tough when she runs into Logan. LoganXRogue Rated for brief language.
1. Old Friends

**I loved the X-Men movies so I decided to write a fanfiction for it. It most likely won't be my best because, well, although I've seen the movies multiple times I will still end up screwing something up. This story is focused on Rogue and Logan and takes place 7 years after The Last Stand. I hope you like it and I wouldn't mind some reviews!**

"Rogue?" A familiar voice sounded behind her. Rogue whipped around, the few bags she held rattled as she moved. It took a moment for her to pick out the source of the voice through the bustling of people throughout the parking lot.

"Logan? Bobby?" She squinted her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Rogue!" Bobby practically tackled her. She was careful to keep her face from touching his. "Oh my God, I didn't recognize you," she breathed, stepping back to look again. His face had matured, all traces of boyhood had melted away into strong masculine features. His hair was slightly longer but still spiked upward. The only thing about him that has most definitely not changed were his blue eyes. However, it was not Bobby that she was focusing on, it was the man behind him. Logan hadn't changed a bit, though that wasn't a surprise. However, that didn't stop the shock from tingling through her. She hadn't seen him in years and even through older eyes he was still handsome.

"Hey kid," he nodded happily, chewing on the end of his cigar.

"Kid," She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. It had been nearly seven years since she had left the mansion. She was no longer a kid, far from it. Her body had taken on womanly curves and she had grown her hair out quite long. Her face had kept its softness but had also matured. She knew from Bobby's approving stare that she did not look like a kid anymore, though she had a feeling that small fact wouldn't keep him from using her nickname.

"You still look like a kid to me," he teased. He pulled her into a hug. Unlike Bobby, Logan like to hug her closer to her waist, making it more intimate. That type of embrace used to feel purely friendly and almost fatherly, but in that case, it caused her face to fill with blood. Rogue flinched as his bare arms brushed against hers. Why hadn't she decided to wear her longer gloves? She quickly pushed him back before her powers could take effect.

"Something wrong?" His brow furrowed in confusion and worry.

"Not exactly," she shifted her weight. It took Logan a moment before he realized that her hands were hidden by black silk gloves and a black scarf had been tied around her neck even though it was nearly eighty degrees.

"How?" The meaning behind that one word was apparent in his tone.

"Turns out the cure isn't permanent," she shrugged.

"But there are still mutants all over without powers," he pointed out.

"I did some research and I guess it has a different effect on everyone. For most it takes at least three years for it to wear off, it only took a year for me. Besides, there are still those desperate enough to purchase multiple injections of the cure. I almost bought some,"

"I'm glad you didn't" Bobby piped in, giving a crooked smile.

"I didn't have the money," she admitted.

"It's getting hot, why don't you come to lunch with us?" Logan suggested.

"Logan, shouldn't we get going?"

"I'll take it you aren't here for fun?" Rogue asked as she watched Bobby begin to glance at his watch impatiently.

"Storm wanted us to go see about a girl. Apparently she broke a few windows by accident while having an argument with her boyfriend," Logan explained. He didn't even need to add the fact that the windows hadn't been touched by the girl, not physically anyway.

"We were supposed to meet her almost an hour ago," Bobby said.

"Why don't you go ahead? Tell her that I got caught up, killed, I don't care. I'll catch up later," Logan shooed him off. He stood there for a few moments, eyeing Logan with confusion.

"You want me to go alone?"

"Afraid?"

"No," Bobby frowned.

"Good, now go,"

"Fine. I'll talk to you later Rogue," he smiled, leaning in for one more hug. For a brief moment their faces were close together and she thought he might actually try to kiss her. To her relief, however, he ran off.

"So where are we going?" Rogue finally asked, placing her shopping bags in the back of her black Volkswagon Bug.

"This is your car?" Logan snickered before answering her question, "I don't know. I just got in town so I don't know what's good,"

"Hope you like seafood," she muttered. After all, they were on the coast of California, almost everywhere sold some type of seafood. "And don't make fun of my car,"

They ended up at a buffet. Rogue figured that Logan would eat a lot and a buffet would be cheaper than buying several plates of food from a menu. She mostly filled her plate with shrimp dipped in garlic and butter, salmon, salad, and a piece of cake for dessert. She grabbed a table, sat down, and started nibbling at the cake, waiting for Logan. When he finally sat down he had three large plates overflowing with just about everything.

"A little hungry?" She raised her eyebrow. He shrugged.

"You know how I am,"

"Just the thought of trying to eat all of that makes me want to barf," she shook her head. Teasingly he picked up a big piece of battered cod and shoved it in his mouth, chewing loudly.

"Enough about my eating habits," he chuckled after swallowing, "How has life been treating you?"

"Boring," she lied. However, she didn't really feel comfortable telling him everything she did after she left the school.

"I don't believe that,"

"Didn't expect you do," she popped a shrimp in her mouth, chewing slowly as she thought about what to tell him. Part of her knew telling him certain things could end quite badly, but another part was anxious to see his reactions when he learned about the what she did for money.

"We're both adults aren't we? Nothing you did could be that shocking," He scoffed.

"Oh really?" Rogue smirked, "After I left I got a job as a stripper to make some money for a place to stay," Logan choked on a large bite of pizza.

"You what?"

"I'm not saying it again," she shook her head.

"Why?" He wondered, bewildered. He had thought her too innocent to even think of taking off any particle of clothing in front of a group of drooling males.

"Well, I needed money," she didn't feel like explaining.

"Please tell me you have found a much more… Appropriate occupation,"

"I'm a school counselor," she gave a half-smile. This time he wasn't as shocked.

"So you went to college?" he guessed. She nodded. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you are doing well," within his smile she saw a flicker of something.

"Everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" He put on his best poker face, one she saw right through.

"You can't pull that shit with me,"

"You know me too well," he shook his head, "to be honest, I had hoped that if we ever found you again that would miss us enough to want to come back. However, hearing about how well everything it going I think it is probably a slim chance,"

"Oh," was all she said, quickly filling her mouth with food so that she wouldn't be expected to speak again for a few seconds.

"Don't worry about it, I'm happy for you," he patted her gloved hand. Her attention snapped to the sudden contact. Even through her gloves she could feel strength and heat of his hand. She couldn't hide her blush. Then again, neither could Logan. Wait, Logan, blush? That didn't make much sense, he never did that.

**Well, there you have it, my first chapter of my first X-Men fanfiction. I hope it wasn't terrible, please Review!**


	2. Making Hope

**I got a ton of hits and views on this story so I figured I would write a second chapter. Please review! Please! Haha, anyway, enjoy this next chapter. **

'~*~'

"I want to come back," Rogue finally admitted about halfway through the meal. Logan eyes her with surprise.

"You do?"

"Yeah. I just… After taking the cure I feel like I don't belong there. Even though my powers have returned I know that I chose to give them up and if I had the money I would give them up again. I don't belong among those who appreciate the gifts they've been given," she poked at the ice in her cup with her straw, keeping her eyes anywhere but on him.

"Marie," he sighed. He didn't use her name very often, for the most part not at all, but when he did it sent shivers throughout her body. Stop! She screamed at herself. He is older and practically her father, she tried to remind herself. "Everyone back at the school misses you. No one cares that you took the cure, everyone understood. Out of all the mutants that walk this earth you were given the hardest power to deal with,"

"I hate it," she mumbled, "Why couldn't it have been saddled on someone else?"

"Because you are the only person strong enough to deal with it," he gave her a smile that sent warmth straight to her heart.

"I feel like a freak Logan,"

"I've never met a mutant who doesn't," he said, "Look, it's up to you whether you want to come back. If you do, though, there will always be a spot in the X-Men, waiting just for you. Anyway, I should probably see how Bobby is doing. Would you like to come?" He offered. She thought a moment before slowly nodding.

Logan called to check on Bobby's progress and much to his disappointment; Bobby reported that he probably made things worse with the girl. She was terrified of herself and about to slit her wrists.

"This would be a good time to drive a little faster," he told Rogue, his fingers clenched into fists. She pushed down on the gas pedal, praying that no red and blue lights would appear. To her relief they made it all the way to the girl's house without a single siren.

"What is her name?" Rogue asked as they climbed the front steps.

"Heather,"

Heather's parents were nowhere to be seen when Bobby came and let them in. He led them through the small house, to the door of the bathroom. It wasn't locked but apparently Heather had threatened to kill herself if they tried to come in.

"Heather?"

"Who are you?" She choked from the otherside of the door. It was obvious that she was crying.

"My name is Logan, I just want to talk to you okay?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone, please stay out,"

"You can't hurt me. Trust me, you can't," which was true. No matter how powerful this girl was, she wouldn't be able to hurt Logan. He would heal and everything would be peachy keen as usual.

"You don't know what I can do,"

"It doesn't matter. Please let me come in. I want to talk to you about somewhere you can go, somewhere that will help you so that you don't have to hurt anyone again," Logan's tone was soothing and soft, something Rogue wasn't used to hearing.

"No!" She screamed. Suddenly the sound a loud shattering sound echoed from the bathroom followed by the tinkling of glass hitting the floor.

"Let me try," Rogue placed her hand on Logan's shoulder. He gave her a look of uncertainty.

"School counselor remember?"

"Fine," he gave a tight-lipped smile before stepping away from the door.

"Heather, my name is Marie, can I come in?"

"Marie?" Heather's voice was noticeably calmer. Just as Rogue had expected, the presence of another female had calmed her.

"Yes, can I come in?"

"I… I don't want to hurt you," she stuttered.

"I don't care if I get hurt, I can take care of myself. Besides, you aren't going to hurt me,"

"How do you know?"

"I just do," Rogue tried to sound as friendly as possible. After what seemed like an hour, which was probably only five minutes, the girl answered.

"Fine, but just you, no one else," she muttered. With a wink towards the two shocked men she slipped inside the bathroom, making a scene of closing the door behind her. She wanted the girl to feel as comfortable as possible so she sat on the edge of the bathtub, clear across the room.

Heather was no older than sixteen and had rivers of mascara flowing down each cheek. Her blonde hair was a mess and she was curled up in a protective position in a corner. The mirror over the sink had been broken and shards of glass littered the white linoleum floor. The final thing Rogue noticed was the shine of a sharp razor pressed against her wrist.

"Hi," Rogue smiled as warmly as she could. Heather eyed her wearily.

"What do you want?"

"Just to talk," she shrugged, unwrapping the scarf from her neck and pulling off her gloves. She wanted to show the girl that she was making herself vulnerable.

"I'm scared,"

"Why?"

"I almost killed my boyfriend!" Her voice raised a bit but she quickly brought it back down.

"What happened?"

"We were arguing. He wanted me to stop flirting with this guy from school. He was being a total idiot, I wasn't flirting with anyone. He was convinced that I was going to cheat on him, so we started yelling at each other outside of McDonalds. One minute I'm screaming and the next he is on the ground and there is glass everywhere. They took him to the hospital, and it's all my fault," she began to sob again.

"I know how it feels, to hurt someone you love," Rogue spoke carefully, not sure how much she wanted to say aloud, knowing that Logan may be listening to their conversation.

"You do?" Her big blue eyes gazed at Rogue with sudden hope. Rogue understood that this girl simply wanted to feel normal and knowing that someone else was dealing with similar problems tends to help.

"Yeah. I'm like you, I'm different. I have it worse than you do though,"

"I doubt that," she murmured.

"Really? Did you know that the first guy I kissed ended up in a coma for three weeks?" She raised her eyebrows. Heather stared at her with shock.

"What happened?" She wondered. Rogue noticed she had decreased the amount of pressure she was exerting on the razor. That was a good sign.

" As I said, I'm like you. I'm a mutant. I can't touch anyone with my skin. For some reason, whenever I touch someone, I steal away part of them. If I touch a mutant I can steal their powers for a while, but I also steal part of their lives. I literally suck out their life. A while ago I had been… Well I have this friend, he has a lot of nightmares. One night they were really bad, I could hear him yelling all the way from my room. I went to try to calm him down, and he ended up stabbing me by accident. I was going to die, so I did the only thing I could think of. I touched his face and took some of his powers to heal myself. In the process I nearly killed him. I never forgave myself for that," Rogue couldn't believe that she was pouring her heart out to a stranger but she had never spoken to anyone about what happened that night since she had left the school. It felt good to get out.

"You mean you can't touch anyone?" She gulped. By the time the razor had slipped completely from her fingertips and fallen onto the floor with a metallic clatter.

"Not unless I wear gloves. I went to school though, and they helped me out. I learned how to steal my enemies powers and use them for a while. I made a lot of friends too, and the teachers were all very nice. They would accept you in a heartbeat. They would teach you how to control your gift, and maybe even learn to fight with it. It's really a very nice place, I think you would feel at home,"

"I… I can't. What if I hurt someone again? How did you move on from hurting that person?" Her eyes fell to the floor.

"I never got over it, I don't want to. That mistake, that experience, it helped me learn. It drove me to try harder. I still don't have control over my powers, but I'm going to go back, and I'm going to learn. Why don't you come with me? I haven't been there in years and I would prefer not to go alone," Rogue slipped her gloves back on and wrapped the scarf around her neck. She crossed the room to Heather and held out a hand, hoping she would accept it.

"You'll be there too?" She asked, her voice had evened out and the tears had stopped flowing.

"Yes," Rogue nodded. After a bit more thought Heather took her hand and they left the bathroom together, side by side. Rogue avoided Logan's eyes, knowing that he had heard. Bobby gave her a smile of approval before helping Heather into their car.

"We'll be flying her back to the school tonight. Are you coming with us?" Logan asked.

"I already told her I would," she sighed.

"Well then, I suggest you go home and pack, meet us at the airport at seven," and without warning he leaned down and gave her a swift kiss on her forehead. She was shocked by the sudden contact and thankful that he had kept it short. The last thing she needed was a repeat of that one night…

"See you later kid," he smiled, climbing into the car and driving off.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," she shook her head.

**That's the end of this chapter. Please review!**


	3. Going Home

**I really quickly want to take this time to acknowledge the few reviews I have received. **

**BekarRoo: Thanks! I wanted to add Heather and the whole connection between them to help emphasize the fact that Marie is an adult figure now and that she is still struggling with her own powers.**

**Desy: Thank you for the compliment. As for the whole metal detector thing, you actually posted that right as I was writing it in this next chapter. Thanks for the reminder **

**Pipersmum: Thank you! And yes, it definitely does not hurt that Logan is there **

'~*~'

When Rogue returned to her apartment she was surprised to find that Nina, her roommate, was there.

"Don't you have work?" Rogue asked.

"Nah, I quit. My boss was being a dick, found out I'm a mutant and just like that," she snapped her fingers, "he started treating me like shit. I've been with that company for five years, putting on a happy perfect little smile trying to get promotions and the minute he finds out I'm a mutant I'm out fetching him coffee again. I wasn't going to be treated that way so I quit," Nina shook her head, taking a drag from her cigarette. Nina was a curious character. She worked for a big corporate business and when she was at work you would think she was the neatest, cleanest, nicest person you've ever met. The minute she comes come she changes into short shorts and a black tank top, showing off her tattooed shoulder and chest. Most people didn't know she was a mutant mostly because you wouldn't know unless you got her angry, which was mostly hard to do. However, if you succeeded the beautiful girl with the raven black hair, full red lips, and bright blue eyes would melt away into a monster. She didn't get all hairy or howl at the moon, but her teeth would grow to sharpened points, her nails would extend into sharp claws, and large black wings would sprout from her back. Rogue had only seen it once.

"So, you don't have a job?"

"Nope, I figured I could help pay the bills with what I have left and then let you pay until I find a new job. I would pay you back of course," she gave a half-smile while inhaling another lungful of smoke and blowing it out in a thin stream.

"Um…" Rogue suddenly felt bad. Why had Nina decided to quit now? Of all times?

"Something wrong?"

"I can help pay for this month… Maybe I could send some for next month," She shifted her weight awkwardly.

"Send some? Where are you going?" Her eyes flashed with curiosity and concern.

"I ran into some old friends, they want me to go back,"

"Go back? As in to the school for gifted kids or whatever it's called? Why would you go back? Aren't you a little old to be attending school?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't be attending the school, I would probably work there," Rogue shrugged.

"So you're leaving me?" Nina suddenly looked upset. Nina had taken Rogue in when she found her wandering penniless around town. This was before Rogue's powers had returned. Once they had returned, however, Nina found comfort in living with Rogue, living with another mutant. They became friends quite quickly and Rogue knew how much it was probably hurting her, hearing that her best friend would be leaving.

"I guess I am, I'm sorry,"

"Well," she coughed a little, a side effect from the smoke, "I guess I'm coming with you,"

"What?" Rogue asked in disbelief.

"I just lost my job, my best friend is moving out, my boyfriend dumped me two weeks ago, I don't have anything here. You told me about the school and I always thought it sounded pretty cool, so I'm coming with you," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I didn't ask Logan…"

"Logan? The guy with the claws you is always telling me about? Look, I can pay for my own plane ticket, I don't need his permission," she snorted.

"Are you sure you want to come? I mean, you'd be hanging out with a bunch of teenagers," Rogue pointed out.

"I hung out with you when you were a teenager" she shrugged, "besides. What have I got here? What am I going to do now? It's boring here anyway, might as well change up my life a little. I've been living in a damn rut for too long. So unless you don't want me to, which I guess I can respect, I want to come,"

"Alright, fine, start packing though, we have to meet them at the airport at seven,"

"Cool. Hey, have to ask, any cute guys at this school of yours?"

"Guy's your age? Well I don't know. Depends if there are any new teachers," Rogue shrugged. She could mention Logan and Bobby but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to mention either of them.

"Oh well, I'll just have to see for myself," she put out her cigarette and made her way to her room.

"This ought to be fun," Rogue let out a long breath.

The airport was like a beehive. People bustled around, all trying to catch connecting flights or waiting for their loved ones to arrive. It was almost beautiful the way the crowds of a large airport move. It all seems so hectic and unorganized, but if you really pay attention you notice that it's like a dance. People weave in and out of the crowd, maneuvering around in skillful ways while wheeling luggage behind them. Somehow no one hurts each other, trips, and very few times do people bump into each other. Rogue couldn't help but be somewhat in awe. Nina, on the other hand, looked more annoyed than anything.

"So where are these buddies of yours?" She blew a bubble, popped it with her teeth, and then resumed to chew her gum. If she wasn't indulging in one habit she was in another. The gum thing was her substitute for a cigarette when she knew she couldn't smoke.

"I don't know," she shrugged. Her eyes scanned through the crowd, trying to find a familiar face.

"Rogue!" Someone nearly attacked her from the back. She whipped around to find Heather hugging her. The girl looked much better than she did earlier. She had cleaned up her make-up and had brushed her hair. She actually was very pretty. Heather looked up at her with desperate and frightened eyes.

"Hey," Rogue smiled down at her, shying away slightly from the contact. Following behind the skittish teenager was Bobby, Logan, and a mutant she didn't recognize. Nina's eyes immediately lit up as they rested on the three attractive men.

"Who's she?" Logan nodded towards her.

"Oh, this is Nina. She is my roommate; she wants to come with us,"

"Hey," she blew another bubble.

"Nina, this is Bobby, Logan, and…" She trailed off.

"This is Liam, he is a student. We needed him to come with us due to some technical problems," Bobby explained. Rogue was surprised to hear that he was a student. He was very tall and fairly well built, she thought him to be at least her age if not older. His black hair was wavy and fell just to his shoulders and his green eyes were almost smoky.

"Technical problems?" Rogue wondered.

"Well I obviously need a little help getting past the metal detector," Logan winked.

"Right, adamantium, forgot. How is he going to help?"

"I'm just going to play around with their system a little," Liam smirked.

"So… Nina, what's your mutant name?" Bobby asked. This was really his way of asking if she was really a mutant or not. Rogue couldn't help but roll her eyes. As if she would invite a regular human to the school.

"Harpy," she gave a devilish grin.

"Harpy," he said the word with a certain amount of curiosity. I could tell that he wanted to know exactly why she was called that but he didn't ask.

"What about you all?" She asked the group.

"Iceman,"

"Wolverine,"

"Brawn,"

"Brawn?" Nina cut in, "Why Brawn?"

"It's more of a joke really. You know the saying 'All brawn no brains?' Well my powers are purely within my brain even though apparently I appear as though my powers would lie in my muscles. The name is supposed to be ironic," Liam explained.

"Oh, I see. And what about you? What do they call you?" She turned her gaze to Heather.

"My name is Heather," she said softly.

"No, honey, I meant your mutant name,"

"I don't have one," she shrugged.

"Later on we will have to change that," she gave the girl a small smile.

"I hate to be a buzz kill but we got to go," Logan told them. The group of all exchanged looks of agreement and started towards security. By this time Rogue was actually a little curious about what Liam was going to do in order to get Logan past the metal detector. Her heart fluttered a little as she realized that if the alarm went off Logan would be taken away by security. She watched Liam closely as she removed her shoes and placed them in the bin.

"Why does he need help getting past security?" Heather whispered into her ear.

"I'll explain on the plane," Rogue reassured her, her eyes still directed towards the tall black-haired mutant. It was Logan's turn to pass through the metal detector. As he stepped forward Liam closed his eyes and his hand flickered to his head as if he had a headache. She held her breath as Logan passed through the archway. No alarms went off, nothing happened. She let out her breath with relief. He threw back an approving smile towards Liam and she could tell that he had been just as worried as she had.

After some rearranging they all managed to obtain seats close to each other. Nina was happily nested between Liam and Bobby. Both boys seemed to be equally star struck by the pretty woman between them. Rogue was placed in middle of Heather and a rather sick looking Logan.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I just really hate flying," he shook his head.

"You always seem fine in the jet," she reminded him, thinking back to the days when she actually went on missions with the X-men.

"That's different,"

"How?"

"I don't know," he admitted with a dry laugh. His anxiety grew as the plane started to move. Any minute now it would start to ascend into the sky. As the wheels began to lift from the earth his hand rested on hers. She knew it was because he was trying to grip the armrests and her hand just happened to be there, but both noticed the contact and neither dared to move. Rogue suddenly wished she could remove her glove and actually feel his skin against hers but she knew better. She knew that that was impossible.

"You didn't used to be this way with flying, I've never seen you like this," she noted as small beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Liam is a psychic and also a telekinetic. He used telekinesis to get me through security. As for the psychic part, well he is very powerful. He is only seventeen and well above where Jean was. He has been helping me unlock my memories and as they come back so do my old behaviors. Apparently flying used to make me sick," he said through clenched teeth. I could tell that he was trying to draw out his sentences, distract himself from the current situation.

"So you can remember things now? Things from your past?"

"A little, not much yet. I remember a man though, I don't remember his name but I remember what he looked like. He had taken me up in a plane and was flying me to an island I think. He was a gambler, he had won the plane, and it was a piece of shit. It kept shaking and I felt like I was going to die, then I jumped out. That's all I remember, but I guess it's better than nothing. However, out of all the things to remember I wish it had been something more pleasant because this whole flying thing is becoming a pain in my ass," he relaxed slightly once the plane had leveled out and the flight attendants started serving drinks.

"Well I'm glad you are starting to remember," she smiled. "So how is everything at the school?"

"Mostly the same. Storm tried to convince me to do the Danger Room lessons but I turned it down," Logan chuckled.

"You don't like to stay in one place," she said more to herself than him. He nodded.

"So she made me her errand boy," he said this with humor.

"Bobby too?"

"Yeah,"

"What about Liam? Does he normally come with you?"

"Sometimes, depends if we need to fly anywhere," he shrugged.

"Why don't you take the jet?"

"Storm doesn't want us to. Even though we could get clearance to land it in the airports according to Hank, she figures it will make the new students feel a little safer if they travel like normal people,"

"That's understandable,"

"So what's the deal with this Harpy chick?" He asked, gesturing the row of seats directly across from them.

"Oh, she gave me a place to stay when I first moved to California. She won't be much trouble unless you piss her off," Rogue chuckled.

"Bobby seems to like her," Logan noted.

"Yeah well I don't think she has her eyes on him," she murmured, taking a sip from her Pepsi. From the moment they boarded the plane Nina kept shooting glances towards Logan.

"Yeah I noticed that too," he muttered. He tried to sound uninterested but she could see that the thought of Harpy taking interest in him was pleasing to him. Rogue couldn't help but feel a little protective and maybe even a little territorial. She had always found Logan attractive and a romantic interest sparked after he nearly killed himself to save her years ago… The memory brought forth a burning question.

"Where is Magneto?"

"Huh?"

"Magneto? Where is he?"

"I don't know," his brow furrowed. He didn't understand why she was asking about him.

"Think about it Logan, if the cure wore off of me do you honestly think it is still having an effect on him?"

"I hadn't thought about that at all," he admitted.

"You'll have to tell Storm when we get back,"

"Yeah I guess we will,"

"I said 'you'"

"Yeah I know, and I said 'we'. You'll need to explain to her the whole cure thing," he said.

"Does she know I am coming?"

"I gave her a call before we left. She is quite ecstatic about you returning. Everyone has missed you a lot,"

"Even you?" She met her eyes with his and felt a small ache in her chest. Why did he have to have such amazing eyes?

"Especially me," he gave her one of his crooked smiles, wrapping and arm around her and pulling her into an awkward hug. He used to do it all the time back when she still saw him as a father figure and it had never felt like anything more. However, this felt different. Feeling the warmth of his body as her head came to rest on his chest felt wonderful and sent a pleasant shiver through her. She wanted so badly to be able to touch his face or even his hand. Suddenly her body filled with frustration and pain. She finally had found someone that she felt she could possibly love and she couldn't even touch him for more than a second. She broke his embrace and leaned her body away.

"What's wrong?" He asked, alarmed.

"Nothing," she didn't even try to hide the lie. The sudden change in her tone brought forth feelings of concern and pain within Logan. He could see that something was hurting her and he wanted nothing more than to help her. If only he knew what it was.

"You never explained why he couldn't pass through security," Heather piped up. Rogue was thankful for the interruption. She proceeded to explain the fact that Logan's bones were infused with adamantium and Heather listened with obvious awe. By the time she was done Logan had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, that didn't make things better. His head had slowly shifted until it was resting on her shoulder. She immediately recognized the signs of stress on his face and realized that he had slipped into one of his nightmares. Within minutes he would yelling. Without thinking she brought her hand to his face and began to gently caress his forehead and cheek, a gesture normally performed by a mother to a child. His features slowly began to relax and the low pained moans that had built in his throat dissipated into soft snores. It was comforting to know that for once, she was taking care of him.

**Well that's the end of that chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Please review! The more reviews I receive the more motivated I will be to update faster!**


	4. He's Mine

'~*~'

"So, you didn't tell me about your rather attractive friends," Nina, or Harpy as Rogue had begun to call her, elbowed her playfully as they scoured the Salt Lake City airport for the bathroom.

"Yeah Bobby is cute but he is like almost seven years younger than you," Rogue winced, knowing that Bobby wasn't the one she was talking about.

"That's not that big of a difference," she rolled her eyes, "But I wasn't really referring to him. You didn't tell me about how much of a hunk Logan is!"

"I don't think he is really your type,"

"Yeah I know, I normally go for the clean, rich, prince charming types, but I think I could make an exception for him. I mean that body alone…" She trailed off dreamily. Rogue really wanted to slap her, strangle her, something! However she knew better. After all, it wasn't like she could claim Logan as her own, he didn't belong to her and if Harpy wanted him and he wanted her, well who was she to stop them? Besides, Harpy was he friend, she should be supportive.

"I found the bathroom," Rogue muttered.

"Thank god, I want to change into something less skanky," she chuckled. Of course, when she meant "less skanky," she meant that she was going to change into something that showed less skin but had the same effect. Just as Rogue had expected Harpy emerged from one of the bathroom stalls wearing a light white shirt that hung off one shoulder and skinny jeans that hugged her legs so tight that she couldn't help but wonder how her friend was supposed to move in them. Rogue went into a stall, encouraging Harpy to go on without her. She would catch up.

Finally alone, Rogue slipped off her gloves and buried her face in her hands. Since she couldn't touch anyone else she found comfort in feeling her own skin. It reminded her that she was still human. Going a long time without actual human contact always left her feeling hollow and she felt as though she was a totally different species. Her fingers traced the features on her face, moving them over the delicate soft skin of her eyelids, the rounded tip of her nose, and finally her lips. She followed the curve of her cupid's bow and then stopped at the corner of her mouth. She wished it was Logan's hands touching her face, touching her lips. She wanted to kiss him so badly on the plane, especially when he started having nightmares. She probably wouldn't even mind the whole situation if it wasn't for the fact that Harpy was there, teasing him with her beautiful curves and silky smooth skin…

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, breaking her away from her thoughts and fantasies. The touch screen on the face of her phone blinked a few times, alerting her that there was an unread text message in her inbox. She didn't recognize the number but decided to check it out anyway.

_**Hey kid, we are all wondering where you are. You okay? **_

__She immediately knew who it was. How did he get her number? Oh, duh, Harpy. She let out a long sigh. If it wasn't for the fact that she was a little worried about having Logan and Harpy together without her made her blood boil she would have ignored them and gone back to her musings.

_**Be there soon, wasn't feeling good, sorry. **_She texted back. It wasn't a lie, she wasn't feeling good. However her ailment had nothing to do with being sick. Carefully slipping her gloves back on she left the bathroom to join her friends.

"We were about to send a search party out after you," Bobby teased as she sat down next to Liam across from Logan, Bobby, and Harpy.

"Sorry for taking so long," she gave a tight-lipped smile.

"I can't imagine what it's like," Liam said as the other three mutants turned back to whatever conversation they had been having before she returned.

"Hmm?"

"Not being able to touch anyone," he nodded towards her hands which were clasped together tightly in her lap.

"Oh," she couldn't help but be a bit surprised that Liam was talking to her.

"Especially if you really cared about someone," his eyes were still on her hands and she couldn't help but sense something in his tone.

"It's hard sometimes, but I guess it's fine when you don't actually have anyone," she shrugged.

"But you do have someone don't you," Rogue's eyes shot to his.

She sucked in a sharp breath. What did he know? Was it that obvious? "What are you talking about?" She finally asked.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he gave her a reassuring smile.

"You didn't answer my question,"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about,"

"Care to explain?" Her heart thudded against her ribcage.

"Your feelings toward Logan…"

"Oh God, I'm too obvious aren't I?" She groaned, leaning her head back against her chair.

"No, not really. However, in case you've forgotten, I'm a psychic," he tapped his temple with a finger.

"Oh yeah," suddenly her eyes lit up. "Hey wait, does that mean… Can you read Logan's mind? Has he thought anything about, um, about me?" She whispered awkwardly. He gave a sympathetic grimace as a response. Her heart immediately sunk. That answered her question and it defiantly wasn't the answer she had wanted.

"No, it's not that he doesn't think of you. I mean, well I guess I can't say for sure if he does or not. I can't read his mind. I have no clue how, but he has managed to build a wall of some sort around his thoughts. The only time he lets me in is when I'm working on his memory," He quickly explained. This brought back a flicker of hope, but not enough to make her smile.

"My life can never be simple," she giggled humorlessly.

"Life is never simple, though I have to admit you have it harder than most people,"

"Yeah, I noticed that to," she sighed.

"Well, I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but whenever I'm working with him I find that most of his treasured memories involve you," he gave a crooked smile. This made her feel a lot better.

"You gonna show me your claws Wolverine?" Harpy's voice sounded. Rogue turned her attention towards Logan to find him grinning, clenching his fist. Before his blades could break through his skin Rogue spoke up.

"Not sure that the best idea, being in an airport and all," she hissed. His eyes flickered to her face and saw that she was angry. He relaxed his hand, suddenly feeling very stupid. He could have gotten them all into some serious trouble and he hadn't even given it a second thought. Rogue was pissed. Wasn't he supposed to be the mature adult? Of course, being a guy, Logan's common sense flew right out the window the minute a pretty girl talked to him.

"Sorry," he offered one of his dazzling smiles but the ice in her eyes didn't melt. Little did he know her anger wasn't purely directed at his stupidity, but rather mostly at the fact that he seemed to be getting comfortable with Harpy. She suddenly regretted bringing her along.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Logan asked softly. It took Rogue a minute to realized that he was talking to her.

"Sure,"

He led her a little ways away, out of earshot from the rest.

"Did I do something to piss you off?" His eyes bore into hers, searching for the source of her sudden distaste for him.

"You mean aside from almost getting us arrested?" She snapped.

"Yes, aside from that," his voice remained even.

"Why do you care Logan?"

"Why wouldn't I care?"

"Look, I don't feel like explaining my problems to anyone, especially not you," she hadn't meant to sound cruel but she couldn't stop herself. She felt hurt and it causing venom to flow off her tongue.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened on the plane?"

Her brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I woke up, but I kept my eyes closed," so he had been pretending to sleep while she was comforting him? Great!

"Why didn't you tell me you were awake?" She almost yelled, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Because I didn't want to," he admitted.

"And why not?" Rogue demanded. Logan clamped his mouth shut. She was satisfied that for once, she had rendered him speechless. It was a short lived victory. He leaned in close to her and for a terrifying yet thrilling moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he moved his lips by her ear and spoke in a small whisper.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted to stay close to you," he murmured.

"You," she gulped, "You did?" Instead of saying anything he pinched a few strands of her moon white hair between his fingers and carefully tucked it behind her ear. Tingles ran up her spine and the urge to press her face into his palm became nearly over powering. To her relief, and disappointment, he stepped away and walked back to the group, leaving a very stunned Rogue to stand there alone.

**Thank you to those who have taken the time to review this story! I really do love to hear what you think about this whole thing. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. PRETTY PLEASE WITH A PENGUIN ON TOP REVIEW THIS!**


	5. An Accident

'~*~'

Rogue couldn't bring herself to move from her spot even when it was announced that their flight was beginning to board. She wanted to stand there, to drink in everything that just happened detail by detail. She couldn't quite understand what had just taken place. Suddenly a pair of hands rested on her shoulders and for a moment she thought it was Logan, but to her surprise, when she turned around, she was greeted by a pair of blue eyes.

"You okay?" He asked tenderly.

"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?" She put on a quick smile.

"Maybe it's been some years, but that doesn't mean I don't still know you well enough to know when you are upset,"

"It's fine Bobby," this time her smile was genuine. She had forgotten how kind Bobby really was.

"I know that's not true, but if you want to talk about it I know you will. Come on, it's time to get on the plane,"

This time Rogue sat next to Bobby, leaving Harpy to sit between Logan and Liam. Heather refused to leave her side, the closer they got to New York the more anxious she seemed to get. Normally Rogue wouldn't care, but knowing that the girl had no control over her powers made her weary. She didn't want her anxiety to send the plane crashing to the earth.

"Storm is really nice, so is everyone there. You don't have to be nervous,"

"I'm not that nervous about the school," she sighed, "I'm upset,"

"Upset?"

"My parents were the ones who called Storm, they wanted me out of the house. They tried to give me the whole 'we love you and want what's best for you' speech, but I could see it in their eyes, they thought I was a freak. Who am I to tell them different? I am a freak," she muttered miserably. Rogue understood how the girl felt.

"Maybe you are a freak," Rogue shrugged. Heather's sky blue eyes snapped to her, extreme pain and confusion filled her. For a moment Rogue thought she was going to cry. "Maybe you are a freak, but if you are a freak then so am I, and so are they," she motioned to the rest of their group. "The point is, what we decide to call ourselves, what others decide to call us, it doesn't matter. We are who we are and that isn't going to change. You aren't alone though, we are all in this together, and that's what matters, okay?" Heather slowly nodded, the corners of her lips turned upwards.

"Thanks," she leaned in to give Rogue a hug, her arm rested against hers. Rogue tried to flinch away but it was too late. Heather's mouth opened in shock as her veins became large and blue against her pale skin. Low inaudible sounds gurgled in her throat. Rogue pushed her off, staring in horror at the girl beside her.

"Heather? Heather are you okay?" An intense fear and sadness filled Rogue and she knew it came from Heather.

"I… Wh-What happened?"She choked, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the armrests.

"I'm so sorry, oh God, I'm sorry,"

"What did you do to me?" She squealed.

"I didn't mean to!" Rogue suddenly felt like the girl from years ago. The girl that almost killed her boyfriend when she kissed him, the girl that almost sucked the life out of her best friend after he stabbed her, the girl who took the cure because she simply wanted to feel the touch of another human being. Most of all, however, she felt like the girl who was more afraid of herself than anything else in the world.

"Marie," the quiver in her voice brought a pain to Rogue's stomach. "I'm sorry, I forgot, this is my fault,"

"It's my fault for wearing this," Rogue gestured towards her black and maroon corset, short maroon coloured skirt, silk black gloves, and she had switched her scarf for a black choker with lace that matched the colour of her skirt and corset.

"You told me though, back in the bathroom, you told me that your skin is dangerous and I didn't listen… It's just… Logan and Bobby touched you and hugged you with no problem. I guess they've had a little more practice with that, but I suppose I forgot and wasn't thinking. I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely.

"It's okay, don't be sorry," Rogue sighed. She was thankful the contact had been short enough that Heather hadn't lost consciousness. Through the seven years she was away from the school she had managed to learn how to keep mutant powers once taken for about an hour. She could feel Heather's gift flowing through her veins.

"Wow," she murmured to herself.

"What?" Heather asked curiously.

"I… I have your powers now…"

"You do?"

Rogue slowly nodded, she was in awe by the strength she suddenly felt. She didn't know how to use the powers but she intended to find out. She rarely got the chance to play around with that sort of thing so when she did have the opportunity she didn't like to waste it. She directed her every thought on the empty plastic cup in front of her.

Heather watched curiously as Rogue's brow furrowed in concentration. She was still breathing somewhat heavily and her heart was rapidly thudding in her chest from her brief contact with Rogue. Apparently she had stolen her powers and Heather was curious to see what Rogue would do with them. Suddenly there was a thud as a small plastic cup flew forward and hit the seat in from of her.

"Whoa!" Heather's eyes widened.

"That was so weird," Rogue muttered. She couldn't believe what she had just done, but the most bewildering thing was how she did it. She originally couldn't figure out how Heather managed to break things but now she understood. Her power wasn't meant to be a weapon, though it acted as a very effective one, but rather a defense system. She could send out some type of force field. If not controlled it would just flow outward and dissipate, which it why she was constantly breaking things.

"How did you do that?" Heather asked.

"I- I used your powers,"

"Really? You know how to use them?" Hope was thick in her voice.

"Sort of, I mean, I'm not suddenly an expert, but I think I know how,"

"Show me!"

"Huh?" Rogue turned her attention to the smiling teenager next to her.

"You can show me! How to use my powers I mean!" She squealed.

"Shh…." She hushed her, realizing that a few people had turned to stare.

"Oops," she mouthed.

With a small sigh Rogue said, "Okay. Basically you can make a type of force field,"

"Really?"

"Yes"

"How?"

"Well, it's hard to explain. You know how things break when you are experiencing a strong emotion? If you can conjure up one of those feelings, anger, sadness, happiness…." Love, she thought to herself, "and then direct it at something and let go. If you can control it, though, you can manipulate it and use it as a shield,"

"I want to try,"

"Maybe you should wait until we are at the school," Rogue said quickly. The last thing anyone needed was a teenage mutant experimenting with her powers while in a plane.

"Probably a good idea," Bobby spoke. He had watched the whole ordeal without saying a word. He wasn't shocked by anything that had just happened, if anything he was a little disappointed. He knew that Rogue's powers had returned, but deep down he wanted to believe that they were gone. Although it was apparent her interest in him had dissipated, he still held onto a hope that he would be able to kiss her at least one more time. However, upon seeing the situation between Heather and Rogue, he now knew that it would never happen.

"You know, if I manage to get this whole thing under control, I could teach kids how to use their powers by actually showing them," Rogue's eyes lit up at the thought.

"First we need to make sure you can do that without killing them," he suddenly regretted his words.

"Yeah, I know," her gaze dropped her hands as she mumbled, "I hate being a freak," He so badly wanted to brush his hand against her face at least to comfort her.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything,"

"It's okay, it's true, I know it is,"

"You aren't a freak Rogue, and we are all going to help you get it under control okay?"

"Thanks Bobby," she flashed him a small smile.

**Yes, I know, no Logan and Rogue romance. Don't worry, the next chapter will be filled with it! I mostly just wanted to establish a bit more of the plot line with this chapter, sorry for being so boring. Anyway, hope you review! I really do love reviews!**


	6. A Spark of Warmth

**Here is the new chapter! Thank you so much to all those who have favorite, reviewed, and put this story on their alert list. It means a lot to me! Keep it up! Anyway, love you all! Enjoy! P.S. Sorry I didn't add as much romance as I promised, but I felt like I was adding too much so I toned it way down. There is still some fluff though! **

'~*~'

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was just as Rogue had remembered it, tall, beautiful, and bustling with teenagers. She immediately felt like she was returning home, however that didn't mean she was comfortable. As she had said many times before, she felt like she didn't belong there. She had chosen to give up what made her one of them, therefore she didn't have the right to be amongst those who embraced and learned to love their powers.

"It hasn't changed has it?" She murmured to herself.

"Storm wanted to keep it the same," a heavy hand rested on her shoulder. The familiar scent of a burning cigar tickled her nose and she found the smell comforting. "She is going to want to talk to you,"

"I know. First, though, could I go visit Professor Xavier?" She asked.

"Bobby, Liam, why don't you too take our new guest to meet Storm?" Logan suggested. The two boys looked more than happy to comply and eagerly lead her away, fighting for her attention. "Come on," he said, taking Rogue's hand. She didn't bother to tell him that she remembered where everything was, she was content letting him believe that she needed to be lead there.

As always, low flames were burning at each tombstone. Rogue couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat grow as her eyes rested on the stone belonging to a most missed professor. She sat down in the sweet green grass, shutting her eyes.

"I miss you Professor, I really need you right now. I feel confused, conflicted, and I wish you were here to tell me what to do. I feel like an ungrateful freak. Not only can I still not control my powers, but I have willingly given them up for my own selfish reasons. I didn't really care about anyone else, I did it because of a boy. I was foolish and stupid. However, worst of all, I realize that I would do it over again the same way if I got the chance.

"I really miss you. You would know exactly what to tell me to make me feel better. You were always so smart about these things, about everything. Storm is great, wonderful, and perfect, however she isn't you. I just can't truly accept that you are gone. I hope you are happy up there in Heaven," she sighed sadly. Small streams of tears trickled down her cheeks. She hadn't had a chance to express those feelings in such a long time, it was a release that she was incredibly grateful for. Throughout the whole speech she had forgotten that Logan was standing behind her.

"I miss him too," he spoke up. She slowly stood and turned to face him.

"He was the only one who made me feel like I belonged," Rogue admitted.

Flicking the small stub of his cigar to the ground and stepping on it lightly with his toe he said, "You do belong Marie, I wish you would realize that,"

"Thanks"

"For what?"

"Being a good friend,"

"Friend," he repeated the word quietly, his lips forming a tight line as if that one syllable had left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Something wrong?"

"No I just… Nothing is wrong," he shook his head, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"How many times are we going to do this?"

"Just drop it," he scowled.

"Fine," she snapped, beginning to walk away.

"Wait, Marie…" he caught her hand, pulling her back, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you unhappy. There really is nothing wrong though,"

"Sorry for snapping," she sighed.

"Don't be sorry," he smiled as he reached up and twirled a strand of her white hair around his finger, his eyes burning into hers. She hadn't realized how close their bodies were until that moment. Although her mind told her she should step away before she did something stupid, she couldn't bring herself to move.

"I… I lied. When I said that the professor was the only one who made me feel like I belonged, that was a lie. You did too, everyday," her voice came out in a mere whisper as her heart pounded against her aching chest. She couldn't help but wonder if he could hear her heartbeat, the thought brought a blush to her cheeks.

"You're very pretty when you blush," he smirked. This only caused her to blush harder. He chuckled at her body's reactions to his compliment and brought himself closer. "You're pretty all the time,"

"Really?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. What about Harpy? Where had all this come from? Part of her told her she was imagining the whole thing, but she knew she wasn't. This was real. Logan had just called her pretty. Why? Was it possible that he had feelings for her too? No, she shook her head, there was no use getting her hopes up.

"Why would I lie about that?" He raised an eyebrow. When she didn't have an answer he leaned down and gently brushed his lips to hers. She immediately recoiled, thankful that the contact had been brief enough.

"Logan," she hissed, "are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm not afraid," his voice still calm and smooth. She wanted to melt into him, but knew better.

"It doesn't matter if you are afraid or not. I could kill you," she reminded him. Logan let out a long sigh, knowing that she was right. He met his eyes with hers and saw that they were brimming with tears.

"What's wrong?" His brow furrowed, suddenly afraid that he had done something wrong.

"I wanted it… I wanted you to…" She trailed off, her words dissolving into small silent sobs. He understood.

"It's okay," he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He let her head rest on his chest, enjoying the feeling of her pressed up against him. How long had he waited to feel this?

"I hate this," she muttered miserably.

"Don't say that,"

"It's true though,"

"Well make it untrue. You have a gift Kid, don't waste it," he told her sternly.

"I wish you would stop calling me that," she chuckled dryly.

"I know," he smiled.

"You aren't going to stop are you,"

"Nope," Logan laughed lightly.

Rogue shifter her weight uncomfortably as a question came to mind, "Logan… I,"

"There you are," A familiar voice interrupted. Logan quickly stepped away from Rogue, putting an appropriate distance between them as and Storm approached.

"Storm," Rogue gave her a tight hug, thankful that her teacher had worn unseasonably warm clothing.

"It's so nice to see you again. You have grown up a lot," she smiled warmly, "Why don't you come inside so we can talk a bit," she suggested.

"Alright,"

"Oh, and Logan, I need to have a conversation with you later," although light-hearted, Rogue could sense and underlying warning to her tone. Logan was in some sort of trouble.

The inside of the mansion was refreshingly cool. Groups of teenagers pushed passed Rogue, some of them very nearly touching her skin. She would definitely have to start wearing more appropriate clothing. Once they reached Storm's office Rogue could settle down in a chair and relax.

"So, first things first, welcome back," Storm smiled.

"Thanks,"

"Second, I would love to hear about what you did after you left. Logan told me about your powers returning,"

"Yeah, they did," she cringed slightly.

"When did that happen?"

"About a year after I left. I had used all the money I had flying over to Callifornia and was flat broke after that. I wanted to get a job but I didn't know where to start. I…" she trailed off, suddenly uncomfortable.

"It's okay, you can tell me," Storm encouraged, sensing her discomfort.

"Well I needed money so I got a job as a stripper. That's how I found out that my powers returned. Some jerk decided to break the rules and tried to grab me. Didn't end very well for him," she laughed dryly. " I had to quit after that and so my money started to dwindle. This woman, Nina, she took me in and gave me a place to stay,"

"That's the woman who came with you?"

"Yeah,"

"I see. So what happened afterwards? Logan mentioned something about college?"

"Yeah, Nina helped pay for most of my college and then after that I got a job as a school counselor and started slowly paying her back. Haven't completely paid her back yet, but I'm getting there,"

"I ran into Nina, Liam, and our new student. Heather spoke quite fondly of you, said something about helping her use her powers?" Storm raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," Rogue blushed shamefully, "I was stupid and didn't dress properly… There was an accident on the plane and I ended up stealing some of her powers. Thank God I didn't hurt her, but anyway, afterwards I tried out her powers and I guess tried to explain to her how to use them," she shrugged.

"You realize that if we could get your powers under control, you could help out a great deal of students?"

"Isn't that a little dangerous? I mean, I could kill people,"

"Well obviously we would take necessary precautions and make sure that you are ready for that sort of thing,"

"So I would be a teacher?"

"That would be the idea," she smiled.

"That would be great!" Rogue said enthusiastically. The thought of actually making good use of her powers brought a sense of hope to her heart.

"Glad I got that settled. I really would love to talk more, but I need to discuss a few things with Logan. Could we continue this another time?"

"Of course," Rogue forced a smile this time, sensing once again an underlying seriousness in Storm's tone. What had Logan done?

As she left the office she found Logan waiting outside.

"Hey Kid," he nodded.

"How many time am I going to ask you to…"

"Stop calling you that?" He finished for her, "Probably more times than you will even be able to count," a smirk curved his lips and she couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Have fun," she gestured towards the office. He grimaced slightly. "What did you do?"

"I have no idea," he admitted.

"Been getting into trouble have we?" She teased lightly.

"You know how I am,"

"Right, you don't get into trouble. You ARE trouble," Rogue giggled.

"Glad to see you think so highly of me," he chuckled while messing up her hair.

"Hey!" She protested. "Don't mess with my hair! You're going to make it look like a rats nest!"

"And yet you'll still look beautiful," her breath caught in her throat. This wasn't the first time she had heard him compliment her, however each time was equally shocking and thrilling. She still couldn't convince herself that any of it was real, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy every word he was saying.

"You better get in there," she said quickly.

"Wouldn't want to keep her waiting, see you later kid," he brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and then disappeared into the room.


	7. What's Wrong  With Logan?

**Hello! First off, I am incredibly grateful to all those who have reviewed, added my story to your favorites, and put my story on alert. It means a lot to me. I honestly had no confidence in my writing before coming to this website. So thank you all a ton! Second, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Third, please keep reviewing!**

"Logan!" Rogue looked up from her dinner in surprise. She hadn't heard him come into the room and didn't even notice his presence until she heard the sound of the refrigerator opening.

"Hey kid," he gave a crooked smile.

"You've been gone for hours, where have you been?" She wondered.

"Oh, I was helping with the Danger Room sessions," he shrugged.

"For four hours?"

His gaze dropped for a moment, "Sure,"

"Sure? Not sure that's the right answer for that type of question,"

"Does it matter where I was?" He snapped a bit. She could tell he immediately regretted it, but instead of saying sorry he stuffed a cigar in his mouth and lit it hastily. The scent filled her nose and for a minute she was calm.

"No, I guess it doesn't matter," she sighed.

"Anyway, what were you doing?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" She didn't mean to throw his words back in a harsh tone, but she couldn't help it.

"No," he shook his head, blowing out small puffs of smoke from his lips. They sat in silence awkwardly for a few moments. Rogue could feel that something was off. However, she couldn't tell what it was. Logan was acting differently and she did not like it. His muscles were tensed as if ready for an attack and his normally teasing smile was gone.

"Is there something wrong?" She finally asked softly.

His eyes met hers and she had her answer. Instead of admitting it, though, he said, "No, I'm fine,"

"You sure?"

"Yes, Rogue, I'm sure,"

"What did you and Storm talk about? It sounded like you were in trouble," she changed the subject.

"Why are you interrogating me?" He demanded, resting his elbows on the counter that she was sitting at.

"Geez, just trying to make conversation," she frowned.

"Yeah well it feels like I'm about to be arrested," he chewed on the end of his cigar agitatedly.

"Logan… I'm sorry," she reached out a hand to pat his arm but he recoiled. "What the hell is wrong?"

"I'm going to bed," his gaze dropped to the floor once more.

"But…" She couldn't speak fast enough before he was gone. She blinked in confusion, staring at the spot he had stood in. "What the hell was that about?" She wondered aloud.

"He's upset," a voice sounded behind her. She whipped around to see Liam leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I figured that, but why?"

"Wish I knew. Never seen him act like that," he walked over and sat down beside her, snatching the dinner roll that had been sitting on her plate. She didn't care, her appetite had plummeted anyway.

"You watched the whole thing?" She raised an eyebrow.

He simply shrugged, nibbling on the roll, "Yeah for the most part. He looked very sad,"

"Sad? I thought he looked angry,"

"People mask their sadness and pain with anger. Logan is definitely one of those people. Think about it, how often do you think he allows himself to appear vulnerable?" Liam pointed out.

"Okay, okay, I get what you mean. Wish he would have told me, I thought…" She trailed off. Liam said nothing, waiting for her to finish on her own time. She was thankful for that, "I thought he cared enough about me to trust me with that sort of thing, to allow me to see when he is vulnerable,"

"Maybe it was because I was here,"

"Maybe…" It was definitely a possibility.

"Though I have to say, I found his behavior odd considering how he usually treats you. That man obviously cares about you. Question is, what would cause him to act like that towards you?" His brow furrowed.

She let out a long exasperated breath, "Who knows. Maybe he is PMSing," Liam stared at her for a minute before bursting into a deep rumbling laugh. She couldn't help but to join in, amused by her own joke which, they both knew, was not actually that funny. They spent the rest of the night attempting to make each other laugh.

When Rogue woke the next morning she had all but forgot the confrontation with Logan. She skipped down to breakfast, feeling absolutely wonderful. A feeling that only got better as she found Harpy and Liam cooking breakfast together.

"Smells good guys!" She drew in a long breath, enjoying the aroma of bacon and eggs.

"Hey babe, you're awake," Harpy gave her a warm smile.

"Yup!"

"What's with the good mood? It's kinda freaking me out," she cringed slightly.

"I have no idea," Rogue shrugged sincerely. She had no clue why she felt good, she just did.

"Food is ready," Liam announced before Harpy could make a comment about Rogue's uncharacteristically happy smile.

"It's going to be a nice day," she noted, glancing out the window to see a clear sky with minimal clouds and a bright glowing sun.

"Good, that means I can sunbathe," Harpy said.

"I think I'm going to look around some more, find out who is teaching what and get to know people better," Rogue mumbled between mouthfuls of food.

"Slow down! Gross!" Her friend complained. She apologized but continued her fast paced eating habits. Liam found it amusing and began to softly chuckle.

"Mind if I accompany on you?" He asked.

"Not at all," she smiled.

"Good," he returned her smile. The more she was around Liam, the more she forgot that he was only seventeen. He seemed so much older it was confusing to her. What seventeen year-old acted and looked like that?

"Apparently me," he answered her unspoken question. Harpy eyed them with confusion.

"You aren't going to make a habit of reading my mind are you? Because I can't guarantee that all my thoughts are going to be appropriate," she laughed.

"I'm in a school with a bunch of teenagers… I think I can handle it," he reminded her. She couldn't argue with that logic.

"Alright, see you later," she told her former roommate. Harpy playfully acted disgusted and Rogue gave her a half hug.

"You really are in a good mood aren't you?" It was supposed to be a statement but it came out as a question. She gave a small shrug as they began to walk throughout the halls.

"I have no clue why,"

"I do,"

"What?" Rogue wondered.

"I know why you are in a good mood,"

"Well, are you going to tell me or just keep smiling?"

"I mean, I know why, I can't give specific in depth explanations, but I know that the reason you are in a good mood is because you are back here. You missed this school more than you allowed even yourself to know. Deep down you wanted to come back, you've never felt right not being here. Now that you are back it's like a missing piece to the puzzle of your being has been put back and you can be completely happy," Liam explained.

"What happened to no 'specific in depth explanations'?" She chuckled, pushing her hair off her shoulder.

"That wasn't in depth," the seriousness on his face was almost humorous and she had to stifle back giggles. As the two turned the corner they ran into someone, knocking Rogue off her feet.

"Ouch!" A small voice complained. Rogue looked up to see a girl, no older than she was, with a small figured and pixie like features picking herself up off the ground. The girl's eyes met hers and widened.

"Rogue?"

"Kitty?" Rogue narrowed her eyes, unable to believe that the girl with the modest yet beautiful curves, large brown eyes, and obvious striking features before her was Kitty. She couldn't accept that this was the same girl who, to Rogue, always looked much younger than she was, her personality helping with a more early teen appearance. However, the girl standing before her, although small, was definitely gorgeous and definitely not a child.

"Oh my God, I honestly never thought I'd see you again," she breathed, wrapping her arms around Rogue and pulling her into a hug.

"Careful," Rogue warned, keeping the hug short and not too close.

"Oh, right, the cure. I was reading some things online about the cure wearing off. Sorry that it didn't work out,"

"I guess I'm sort of glad it didn't. My powers are a pain in my ass, but they are a part of me," she shrugged. "Look, we really need to catch up, however I have a class starting in about ten minutes so I need to go,"

"You're a teacher?" Rogue raised a surprised brow. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'll explain more later. I really have to go. Bye," She waved politely as she walked away.

"Kitty?" Liam cleared his throat.

"Yeah what about her?"

"You call her Kitty?"

"Yeah, what do you call her?" Rogue wondered.

"Mrs. Pryde and some of us are allowed to call her Shadowcat if we are lucky,"

"Oh… Kitty, is a nickname, I don't think I could call her anything else,"

He shrugged without a further response. They both wandered throughout the halls, occasionally stopping to talk to someone. For the most part, however, the teacher positions seemed to be filled by mutants she didn't recognize. She received hugs from old friends such as Piotr and a few others, but for the most part she and Liam wandered together alone. Rogue enjoyed spending time with him, finding him to be much more mature and much kinder than any teenage boy she had ever met.

"By the way," Liam said as they made their way through the garden outside, "I would watch out for your friend, Nina," Rogue was surprised to hear Harpy's real name. Although it was only yesterday that she had begun to call her that, it felt right to call her by her mutant name. She hadn't heard the name "Nina" spoken from anyone else's lips besides her own recently.

"Watch out?"

"She has an eye for Logan," he informed her.

"Oh, yeah I picked up on that. Wish I knew if he felt the same," she sighed.

"Wish I could help with that, but I can't, sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine. I just want to know how he feels, you know. I hate not knowing. I mean, I thought he did, he tried to kiss me yesterday but then last night it was as if none of that had happened. I just wish he would talk to me about it, but he has never been good with his feelings,"

"Well, maybe now is your chance to ask about it," he nodded towards one of the benches that Rogue often went to when she was a student. Upon this bench sat a rather sullen looking Logan. "I'm going to go catch up on some homework," Liam said, quickly turning to leave before she had the chance to protest. With a heavy sigh she sat down beside the distressed mutant. He didn't even notice her presence.

"Logan," she snapped, getting his attention.

"Hm? Oh, hey Kid," he gave a tight-lipped smile.

"What's wrong?" She cut straight to the point. He eyed her wearily.

"Nothing,"

"Bullshit,"

"If you don't want to believe me that's your problem, not mine," he shook his head stubbornly.

"I hate when you do that," she muttered.

"Oh well,"

"Do you feel anything for me?" It burst from her mouth before she had the chance to stop it. His head snapped up.

"What?"

"Never mind, forget it," a deep blush filled her cheeks. It was silent for a few moments, neither of them able to say anything.

"She thought it would be better if I stayed away from you," Logan finally said.

"Huh?" Rogue's brows knitted together.

"Storm, that's what she wanted to talk to me about. She told me it would be better if I stayed away from you," he sighed, staring down at his hands. She had seen him upset, but rarely so defeated.

"Why?"

"She saw… She saw me try to kiss you. She knows your powers are back and she thinks that I might hurt you by invoking emotions that would be too dangerous to pursue," So was this why he had attempted to be cold to her the night before? He was trying not to hurt her?

"Do you honestly think that trying to be rude to me would help?" She wondered, her voice soft.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "The thing is, is Storm is right. I lo... I care about you, but what am I doing? You are a very talented girl whose powers are beyond comprehension. I was putting us both in danger by allowing myself to lose control," his fists clenched.

"You mean put _you _in danger. I would have been fine," she pointed out. She hadn't even realized what he just said.

"Oh really? You mean if you killed me your emotional and mental health would be perfectly fine?"

"Well, no…" She admitted.

"It would break you, destroy you. I could never allow that to happen,"

"Why would you not talk to me about this? I'm not a child anymore. I do not need people telling me what is right for me, and what isn't. I think I can make my own decisions now. This isn't some stupid high school crush, Logan. I love you. I said it, okay? I admit it," she nearly cried. She could not believe that she was pouring out her feelings. She watched the surprise and confusion twist every muscle in his face.

"W-" he cleared his throat, "What did you just say?"

"I know you heard me,"

"But… We can't… It's still too dangerous," she could tell that he was still choking for words.

"This is why I need to be here, to learn how to control this. Not just because… Because of you, but because if I can somehow control my powers, then I can help the kids learn to use theirs,"

"What you said before, did you mean it?" His voice had finally evened out, though it was still soft. As she had grown to do a lot, she blushed and dropped her gaze to her hands.

"Yes, I meant it," she admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"You were like a father to me. I figured it would be a bit awkward if I mentioned that I had feelings for you. Besides, the age difference is a bit drastic," she reminded him.

"I need to think," he stood abruptly.

"Um… Okay," Rogue said, taken aback by his sudden decision to leave. Before he left he locked his eyes with hers and gave her an expression of both happiness and pain. Her chest swelled at the emotions within that gaze. Her heart felt like the wings of a hummingbird. Stop, she told herself, keep yourself under control. Realistically a relationship couldn't work. Therefore, she should be trying to stop the ridiculous storm of emotions that roared through her every time she even looked at him. She realized that would be exceedingly hard after that conversation…

**I know I added the love confessions a little soon but it just sort of happened that way. Hope you don't mind! Anyway, please review! Sorry if I don't update for a while, school is killing me!**


	8. Alone in the Danger Room

**The next chapter! Yay! Thank you all so much for the reviews so far. I love them! Every writer loves feedback and I am no exception to this so keep them coming! Anyway, enjoy!**

'~*~'

As a mature adult, Rogue expected that she would be able to handle adult conversations. However, after the short, yet eventful, chat with Logan, she felt as though she was a teenager again. Her heart would not cease to thud against her chest every time she even merely thought of him. Over the next few days Rogue and Logan avoided contact. It wasn't as if they did not enjoy seeing each other's faces, but rather they felt as though they would say or do the wrong things if they communicated. So they stayed away from each other. Rogue thought this would help her think more clearly and focus on learning more about her powers, but she found everything to be harder. To make matters worse, Harpy was starting to make her move, something Rogue noticed as she passed by them in the garden one evening.

"So they call you Wolverine? That must mean you're a real animal," Harpy flirted shamelessly. No matter how obvious and terrible she was being, Logan's willpower was not strong enough to resist her obvious charm.

"You might say that," he shrugged.

"I bet you're really wild when you're fighting,"

"Maybe I'll have to show you sometime. What about you? People call you Harpy, why exactly do they call you that?" He wondered.

"Maybe I'll have to show you sometime," her words dripped with the disgusting sweetness she drowned them in.

"Sounds entertaining,"

"Yes, well, I can be extremely entertaining when I want to be," since when did Harpy become such a slut? Rogue asked herself through clenched teeth. She hated it, every minute of it. Her entire body was set ablaze with shameful jealousy. How could she help it? Harpy was older, prettier, and even though Logan had told her that he cared for her, she knew he was too weak to have any willpower when it came to Harpy.

"You may have to prove that,"

"So is there a Mrs. Wolverine?" She asked. Whether it was on purpose or his subconscious, his eyes flickered to the area where the headstones of the professor, Scott, and Jean were all resting.

"No," he said finally. Harpy noticed his hesitation.

"What happened to her?"

"It doesn't matter," to both women's utter surprise he stood and walked away. Rogue was concerned and so she did not bother to move as he stopped in front of her.

"I'd like to go inside," he said with a heavy sigh.

"You miss her, Jean," it wasn't a question.

"It's not that simple,"

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked.

"Come on, we'll talk about this somewhere else," he took her arm and led her away. To her surprise he took her to the danger room. No one was in it and no simulations were taking place so it was quiet and rather bland. Logan sank against one of the walls and motioned for her to join him.

"What's going on?"

"Everyone assumes that I'm in pain because I miss Jean, but it's not true," he murmured.

She spoke slowly, confused, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not upset because she is dead. I am upset because I am the reason she is dead," he admitted.

"You had to…"

"I know, I know I had to do it. That doesn't make it any better though. I killed her, Rogue, and to make matters worse, I don't think I even really loved her,"

"What are you talking about? You were crazy about her,"

"I wasn't crazy about her; I was crazy about the idea of her. She was an attractive woman, the first face I saw when I woke up here for the first time, she was interested in me, and she had a boyfriend. She was the ultimate challenge and I wanted her. I had…" he paused before continuing, "I _have _feelings for her, but I don't think I was in love with her. I was attached to her, but now that she is gone all I can think about is how I was the one who killed her,"

"You can't blame yourself for that," she shook her head.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, "Because if I recall correctly, I allowed her to get away from here when she woke up, I defied the professor, and ultimately got him and her killed. If it wasn't for me they would still be alive,"

"You can't know that,"

"Well they sure as hell wouldn't have died the way they did,"

"I hate to say this because it sounds insensitive, but you need to move on. The point is, they did die, they are gone and whether you are the cause of their deaths is left up to interpretation of the past events. Maybe you didn't love Jean, maybe you did, what you need to focus on now is whether or not your feelings are clouding your rational thought process. You are already blaming yourself, beating yourself up for having killed Jean to basically save the world, which is not good. You have done a lot for this world, for mankind, you should focus on that and be proud," she rested a deep royal purple gloved hand on his shoulder. His eyes met hers for a moment. Within seconds they both were lost. The pain Logan had been feeling before melted away into affection.

"God I love you," he muttered ever so softly, "You always know exactly what to say,"

"I'm being honest,"

"I know, which is always the perfect thing to do when you are with me. I'm sick of people telling me what I want to hear. You tell me the truth," he smiled. He leaned in close giving Rogue a good whiff of the smell of cigars and the deep musky scent that seemed to cling. His face was becoming dangerously close to hers.

"Logan, stop," she leaned away.

"I'm not afraid, I've already told you this,"

"Yes and only a few days ago you agreed we couldn't be together until I got my powers under control. You said it was too dangerous, remember?" She was trying to be strong with her objections, but it wasn't working. She was completely absorbed in the moment. Every hot breath that hit her face was like a wrecking ball to her wall of self control. It wouldn't be much longer until it all came crumbling down.

"I don't care what I said," he shrugged, his face still slowly moving towards hers.

"I don't want to hurt you," she tried to inch herself away but it was useless. She had backed herself into a corner.

"Rogue, I know you won't hurt me, I trust you,"

"This isn't a matter or trust, this is a matter of control. I can't hold it back Logan, I don't know how yet,"

"Then it is a risk that I am willing to take," before she could slip out even one more protest, he closed the distance between them. His lips pressed deeply against hers and then…..

**Cliffhanger! Will Logan get hurt? You shall have to wait to find out. Thank you for reading! Review! The more reviews I receive the faster I'll write the next chapter. Love you all! Good-night/morning/afternoon!**


	9. Fatal Kiss

"That's a risk I am willing to take," before she could slip out even one more protest, he closed the distance between them. His lips pressed deeply against hers and then….

Nothing. Well, that's not say she didn't feel anything. Her entire body lit up with fire and a pleasurable pain pounded against her ribs. She pressed herself into the kiss. His lips were slightly chapped and rough but she wouldn't have expected any less. She found their scratchy texture to be wonderful against the incredible softness of her own. And then… Everything changed. Logan froze. This didn't register at first, but within seconds she realized he wasn't kissing her back anymore.

"Logan?" She murmured against his lips. No response. This alarmed her. She jumped backwards and let out a scream. Logan fell backwards, hitting the floor. His mouth was agape and attempting to pull in as much air as he could. "Logan? Oh God Logan!" She screamed, tears threatening to spill. How could she have been so stupid? She should have fought him! She should have left! She knelt beside his trembling body and began to scream.

"Help! Someone! Please help!" Dammit! No one would be able to hear. She was in the Danger Room. There was no way her desperate calls would be heard. Wait! Liam!

_Help! Liam! Can you hear me! _She screamed in her head. She waited for a few seconds, holding her breath.

_Jeez Rogue! Really loud! What's wrong? _Relief flooded through her as she heard Liam's deep mental voice fill her head.

_Bring Storm and…_ Jean wasn't the doctor anymore. So who else should she ask for? _The campus doctor. Please hurry, Logan is hurt. _

_What happened?_

_ I… He touched my skin. It was an accident. I think he'll be okay but he needs help. _

_Where are you?_

_ We're in the Danger Room. _

_ Their on their way, and so am I. Storm told me to pass this message along to Logan if he becomes conscious again: "We need to talk."_

_ Great. _

Rogue waited impatiently for help to arrive. Logan had completely stopped shaking and his breathing had evened out. She could not tell whether or not his body was healing itself, or if he was going into the coma that Professor Xavier had mentioned so very long ago. She hoped it was the first one.

"Logan," she whispered through her quiet cries, "Logan I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have… I'm sorry. Please be okay, please be okay,"

"I'm fine kid," a faint horse voice sounded.

"Logan!"

"Yeah I'm awake, feel like I got hit by a tank, but I'm okay,"

"You're so stupid!" She felt like slapping and hugging him at the same time.

"It was worth it," a small smile crossed his lips. His eyes were still clenched shut and his jaw was rigid, but at least he was talking.

"For who? You? Glad you had your fun but I was terrified! You know how I feel about this, about my powers. What if I had killed you?" She pointed out almost angrily.

"You could have, but the point is you didn't. I'm fine," he weakly reached out to pat her hand. She flinched away. "Rogue…"

"Logan, we can't do this again, not until I learn how to control this. I don't want to kill you. Do you think that I would be able to live with myself if I killed you? Or anyone for that matter?"

"Rogue I'm…" The sound of the door opening interrupted him. Storm and some younger looking man came rushing in, Liam following close behind.

"Logan, are you okay?" Storm asked breathlessly, kneeling by his side.

"I'm fine,"

"What happened?" The young man, who she guessed was the doctor, asked as he began to check Logan's vitals.

"It was an accident, nothing to worry about. Rogue and I accidently bumped each other, that's all," he lied. Storm obviously didn't believe it. Then again, anyone who knew Rogue well knew that he was lying. Rogue may not be able to keep herself from stealing a person's life and a mutant's powers, but she had learned to keep this involuntary thievery at bay for at least a few seconds during skin to skin contact.

"He seems to be alright," the doctor shrugged casually. Rogue let out a breath of relief.

"Rogue, how about you? How are you?" Storm wondered, obviously concerned.

"I… I'm okay,"

"Hey, kid, at least something good came out of this. I bet that bruise on the back of your arm is gone," Logan pointed out. She glanced down and realized he was right. A week ago she had been talking to a boy at the school she worked at and he had become rather angry at her. She had brought up his abusive father, trying to convince him that telling the truth about it would help him, and the boy freaked out. Let's just say, in the end she walked away with a few bruises. The one on the back of her arm had been the worst. She was a bit surprised that he had even noticed it was there.

"Leave it to you to look on the bright side of me nearly killing you," she rolled her eyes.

"Liam, why don't you stay here and help me with Logan," Storm suggested to a silent Liam, "Nathan, why don't take Rogue to lunch,"

"Sure," the doctor, Nathan, agreed. Reluctantly, Rogue followed him from the room, her eyes never leaving Logan as she left.

**Well, there is that chapter. I wanted to make it realistic, thus why Logan got hurt. The upcoming chapter is going to delve deeper into Rogue's thoughts and inner feelings towards her life, powers, and Logan. Hope you enjoyed, please review! **


	10. Skin to Skin

'~*~'

"Um… The kitchen is the other way," Rogue piped up after she realized they were walking in the wrong direction.

"Storm asked me to take you to lunch, not to the kitchen," Nathan answered.

"So… We're leaving campus?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No…"

"Good," he smiled. She followed him to the garage, apprehensive of the stranger she was about to crawl into a car with. It was not that she did not trust that he was a good person; she was slightly frightened by Storm's intentions. Why had she wanted Nathan to take her to lunch? Was she about to be interrogated? Nathan noticed her hesitation and let out a small chuckle.

"Storm wants me to talk to you," he explained, brushing a piece of chocolate brown hair from his eyes.

"About what?"

"What do you think?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Logan," she guessed. His answering smile was her confirmation.

"Come on, get in," Nathan ordered kindly. With a tired sigh she complied climbing into the passenger seat of his Prius. Normally she would make some sort of jab at his masculinity for driving such a car, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. Somehow he managed to make the Prius, sexy.

The two sat in silence as Nathan drove them to a small diner nearby. When they arrived, Rogue couldn't help but wonder how Logan was doing. He had to be doing better by then, but this did not put her worry at rest. Nathan seemed to notice her distracted gaze as she climbed out of the black car.

"Marie, he's fine,"

"Huh?"

"Logan, he is fine,"

"How did you know I was thinking about him?" She suddenly wondered if he was a psychic.

He gave a small chuckle, "Lucky guess I suppose. What else would you be thinking about?" She shrugged in response, he had a point. They walked into the friendly little diner. It wasn't very busy but there were a few people seated in booths chatting happily. A few glanced in their direction, their eyes pausing an extra beat when resting on Rogue. No doubt they weren't used to seeing a girl dressed in gothic attire. She ignored the pressing stares and followed a young female waitress as she led them to their table.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" She asked, pulling a notepad out from her apron and giving Nathan a friendly smile.

"Iced tea will be fine,"

"And you?" When she turned to Rogue her smile vanished and the warm tone she had used with Nathan was gone.

"Same," Rogue gave her the best smile she could, showing she was unfazed by her cold demeanor towards her.

"Alright, I'll be right back with those,"

"You know, I was under the impression that sort of stuff only happened in movies," she snorted once the waitress was out of earshot.

"What stuff?" Nathan wondered.

"The whole, waitress flirts with attractive guy and turns the cold shoulder to the girl he is eating with,"

"Ah, that, yes well you should take that as a compliment. Obviously she is intimidated by you, thus why she was being so rude," he explained. She couldn't help but blush slightly at his compliment. It's not that she had any romantic interest in the man before her, but he was attractive. As his icy blue eyes met hers, she couldn't help but be reminded of Bobby.

"Are you and Bobby related?" She blurted. The question caught him by surprise.

"Why do you ask?"

"Your eyes, they're the same colour as his are," she shrugged.

"Many people have blue eyes," he chuckled.

"Blue, yes. However, most people don't have that specific colour of blue; it's very beautiful and very noticeable,"

"You are very observant. Yes, we are related," he smiled.

"Well…" Rogue hinted for him to explain. He gave out a long sigh before allowing his smile to fade.

"He and I haven't talked about it much. I'm his older brother, but neither of us knew that until recently," he explained, "Technically we are only half brothers. We share the same father, different mothers though. It seems as though our father wasn't very faithful to Bobby's mother,"

"And… He had an affair with your mother?"

"Yes. Then, about three years later, Bobby was born. I wanted to find my father, but my mother never told me who it was. A couple of years ago I came here, hoping to learn more about my own mutation, and I met Bobby. I suppose it's sort of funny, the way some things happen. It was Thanksgiving and we agreed to spend dinner together with our families. When I told him that I only had my mother, he invited us to come eat with his family…"

"Hold on, last time I was at Bobby's house, his brother called the cops and his parents flipped," Rogue interrupted.

"Well, either he patched things up with them, or they were just on their best behavior because it was a holiday. Anyway, we went over to his house and, well, his father recognized my mother and she recognized him. It wasn't a very friendly Thanksgiving. After a long scream out, some crying, and a cold turkey dinner, Bobby and I came to the full realization that we were brothers. We aren't exactly close friends anymore due to the slight awkwardness of the situation,"

"That's understandable I suppose,"

"Sorry for taking so long with your drinks, can I get you guys something to eat?" The waitress returned and pulled out her notepad once again. As she had done before, she focused most of her attention on Nathan.

"I'll have a bowl of clam chowder,"

"Alright… And you?" She turned to Rogue with a tight smile.

"Grilled cheese,"

"What type of soup would you like with that?"

"Tomato,"

"Okey dokey then, I'll get those to you shortly," she gave Nathan one last smile before leaving to serve another table.

"Anyway…" Rogue giggled slightly.

"To be honest this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I was told to take you to lunch. I shouldn't be talking about myself. The point was to talk to you about your relationship with Logan," he sighed seriously.

"We're just friends," she responded too quickly.

"Right," he snorted, "And I was just elected President of Russia,"

She ran her gloved fingers through her hair, "What is there to talk about?"

"Well obviously you're upset by it,"

"I'm not upset by my relationship with him. I'm upset because I can't touch him without nearly killing him, or anyone for that matter,"

"Yes, Storm talked to me briefly about that. I do not know the full extent of your mutation. How long can you touch someone before it takes effect, how long does it take to cause serious damage, and how long do you have a mutant's powers afterwards?" He wondered with genuine curiosity.

"Would you like to find out?" She asked sarcastically, pretending to start taking off her glove.

"No," he laughed, "I'd rather not. All joking aside, how long did it take for Logan to get hurt when you kissed him?"

"What?" She squeaked. Had someone been watching?

"Well, I'm assuming that's what happened," he shrugged. She relaxed slightly.

"My eyes were closed, but I am guessing it only took a few seconds," Rogue admitted, her gaze dropping to the table.

"No need to look so ashamed about it. It's part of who you are, you shouldn't worry about it so much. However, I do think you need to be a tad bit more careful," his comment sparked up a small flame in her chest, and not a good one like the one she had for Logan.

"Be more careful? Yeah, I'll just do that," she snapped, "I want to see you be around someone you love and not be able to touch them!"

He seemed unfazed by her outburst and his voice remained even and smooth, "I can't imagine what that's like, not being have any skin contact with someone you care about. However, the point is, you can't. It's terribly unfortunate, but it is the life you have been saddled with. I want you to make the best of it. I believe, soon, you will learn how to control your mutation and be able to touch again, but until that day, I think you simply need to be more careful. Hormones and feelings can be dangerous for mutants in your position. I do not want to see you or anyone else hurt,"

"I know," she slumped back into her seat, "Logan isn't exactly helping the situation,"

"I'm sure Storm is speaking to him at this moment,"

"It's not just him, either. I mean, I'm a grown woman and I…"she trailed off awkwardly.

"We're both adults, it's okay,"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I would mind having some fun once in a while,"

"You mean sex?"

"To be blunt, yes. I'm not saying I want to whore around, but when I started off with my job as a stripper I couldn't help but want to be able to explore that side of life. There was this guy, he was young and attractive, and he came into the club. I had just finished my shift and I was at the bar getting and drink and he approached me. We talked a lot and he turned out to be pretty nice. Of course, I knew he was only talking to me because I wasn't wearing much and he just wanted me in bed, but I didn't really care. Anyway, he reached out to rub my leg and…" Rogue trailed off sadly.

"That was the day you learned your powers had returned," he finished for her.

"Yes,"

"Was he okay?"

"Yeah he was fine. He was more freaked out than anything. Ha, if he thought he was scared he should have felt how I was feeling. I don't think I had ever been so horrified in my life," she laughed dryly.

"Marie, I'm very sorry," Nathan said sincerely, resting on of his hands on hers. The warmth that seeped through the fabric was comforting and that annoying itch to remove her gloves returned. "Technically, you could touch me if you wanted, it just won't be very warm," he muttered softly. Her eyes flickered to his questioningly. "Bobby and I share the same power. Normally that doesn't happen amongst siblings, but apparently it did with us,"

"So… How does that help with me being able to touch you?" her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. He chuckled lightly and lifted his hand, his palm facing hers. Slowly, his skin turned a slight bluish colour and sparkled like ice.

"Go ahead," he encouraged.

"I don't want to hurt you," she shook her head.

"You won't,"

"How do you know?"

"I just do,"

"How do I know?"

"You'll just have to trust me," a playful smile curved Nathan's lips. His other hand reached out and tugged lightly at each finger of her glove until finally it slid off. "I'll be fine, I promise," Rogue sucked in a sharp breath as she hesitantly raised her hand until it was only inches from his. He closed the distance between them, pressing his palm into hers. She was slightly shocked by the chill, but even more shocked by the fact that he wasn't on the ground writhing yet.

"How?" She mouthed.

"I can form and extremely thin layer of ice over my skin. It's thin enough to leave my skin feeling nearly the same as it would without it, but just a bit colder," he explained.

"Wow," she murmured, tracing the lines in his hand. She couldn't believe it. It felt like real skin, it was real skin. She didn't even mind the fact that it was noticeably cooler than a normal human. The feeling was indescribably sweet and wonderful. Her entire body came alive in response. Without thinking she leaned forward and buried her cheek in his hand.

Nathan watched Marie with amusement and curiosity. She was completely engrossed with the feeling of his skin against hers, and he found himself slightly distracted as well. She was beautiful no doubt, and like any man would, he couldn't help but find the feeling of her skin enjoyable. He was careful not to move, fearful that his attraction would be given away, and instead let her have her moment. Obviously this was huge for her and in no way did he plan on ruining it. Besides, he rather enjoyed watching her. It was like looking at a small child holding their first stuffed animal. It was sweet and innocent.

Although he was sure she was simply doing it because she was lost in the experience, he couldn't help but shiver slightly as her lips pressed against each one of his fingertips.

"Marie I…" He stuttered a bit, "I understand that you are Logan's girl, but I am a man. My self control is not as strong as you are obviously giving me credit for,"

"I'm sorry," she blushed deeply, "I just, it feels so wonderful,"

"Yes, I know," he laughed.

"Can do you that to other people? Cover their skin in ice I mean?"

"Unfortunately, no. It will melt almost immediately unless I am close by or physically touching them at all times," he apologized, already guessing what she intended to ask.

"Oh," she sighed, still holding his hand.

"I'm sorry Marie,"

"It's okay I just wish there was some way… I just want to be able to kiss him without killing him," her eyes were filled with longing and sadness. It made him want to reach out and comfort her, to brush her cheek softly or pull her into a hug. _Dammit, _he thought to himself, _she isn't mine. She is Logan's. Logan is my friend and I could never try anything. But she is just so beautiful and sad. She just wants a kiss… No, you can't and you won't._ He internally fought with himself. What was wrong with him? This wasn't the first time he had had problems with self control, but this was the hardest because he was indeed friends with Logan and he had no intentions of hurting him. Besides, he barely knew the girl at all.

Rogue watched the conflicting expressions flash across Nathan's face but she was too distracted to ask what was happening. She could not get passed the fact that she was touching someone, a person. Granted, yes, she was upset that she would not be able to have this opportunity with Logan any time soon, she was just happy that her frustrations could slowly be released. She heard Nathan give out a long tired sigh before she met her eyes with his icy blue ones.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Would you…" He gulped nervously, "Would you like to kiss me?" She was stunned.

"What?"

"I don't mean it like that!" He practically yelled defensively.

"Well what do you mean?" She eyed him skeptically.

"You seemed so upset by what happened with Logan, and I know how much you've missed skin to skin contact. I was just wondering if you wanted to kiss me. Purely for frustration reasons of course," he explained. She couldn't deny that the offer was tempting, but she was in love with Logan. She honestly didn't really want to kiss anyone but him. However, here was an attractive guy who she could actually touch, offering her something she had wanted for the longest time: A simple kiss. _Just one, that's all. It will mean nothing, obviously. I love Logan and as Nathan said, it's purely to get it out of my system. The longer I let this boil inside me the harder it will be. _

"Okay," she finally said. His eyes lit up with surprise.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," she breathed. They both didn't move at first. Finally, however, Nathan leaned forward over the table slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. She mirrored his actions until they were only inches apart. His breath was shockingly cool against her face. Odds are he was putting ice over his lips thus the cold breath, but instead of make things weird, she actually kind of liked it.

"Don't tell Logan please, he gets angry really easily," she muttered.

"Of course,"

With those last two words they were kissing. It was soft at first, totally innocent and scared. Rogue was absorbed in the feeling of his lips against hers, finding the coldness of his lips to be almost refreshing. She deepened the kiss, not out of passion but out of pure wistfulness. She had waited for so long to be able to kiss someone without putting them in danger, and now she was. It didn't hurt that he was fairly hot as well. Finally, however, she pulled away, breathless and in shock.

"Wow,"

**HEADS UP! I know I'll get reviews saying things like "She can't be with Nathan!" and "She belongs with Logan!" She is still going to be with Logan. I just wanted to add… Temptation and leave some doors open for many possible future conflicts. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	11. Idle Chatter

**Sorry for the wait. Anyway, this is not my best chapter, and I apologize for being so boring with it, but I really just needed… Oh, let's just call this chapter a "bridge". It would appear unimportant and boring, but I think it is needed. Anyway, review, enjoy, and I hope I do not take this long to update next time!**

'~*~'

"Um… So which one of you ordered the clam chowder?" The waitress asked uncomfortably. Rogue's eyes flickered to her face, seeing the disappointment. She couldn't help but let out a short giggle which she quickly hid with a cough. Nathan raised his hand slightly, signaling the waitress to place the steaming bowl of white soup in front of him. She slid Rogue's sandwich in front of her with certain distaste before sauntering off.

"I think," Nathan coughed, "We may have caused her discomfort,"

"Discomfort? I think I just made her incredibly jealous!" Rogue burst into a fit of musical giggles, each bubbled from her throat with pure amusement. The musical sound made Nathan smile and he swore his heart skipped a beat. No, he though, hell no. He was not hers and he would NOT cross that line.

"If you weren't intimidating to her before you certainly are now. I don't understand her interest but it's amusing nonetheless," his smile was warm and full of humor. Rogue sensed that there was something beneath this smile but said nothing to pursue it.

"You don't understand it? Seriously? When was the last time you looked in the mirror," she laughed.

"This morning,"

"Well then you must know that as far as the male species goes, you are definitely up there on the attractiveness scale," her compliment sent warm pulses through his veins. He was thankful that he was not the type to blush.

"Well thank you I suppose," he chuckled.

The two ate while making idle chatter, acting as though the kiss had never happened. That's not say that it wasn't on both of their minds, but neither would admit it. Rogue itched to touch his hand again, but kept her own hands to herself. She had replaced her gloves, feeling almost naked without them. Nathan noticed this and frowned slightly. He could only imagine what it must be like for her, not being able to touch people, which made him wonder what exactly went through her mind when she had met her fingers with his.

"I wonder if Logan's okay," she murmured to herself at one point during the lunch.

"If he died I'm sure they would have called already," Nathan reassured her with an easy smile. She didn't look so sure.

"I still can't believe that I allowed that to happen," she pressed her forehead into her palm with a distressed expression.

"Allowed it?"

"I knew the dangers of it but I let it happen. It was selfish of me, I could have killed him," she mumbled.

"You have spent years being forced to avoid human contact and you are beating yourself up because you kissed the man you love?" He raised an eyebrow. She flinched slightly at the word love. She had thought it, said it, and felt it. However, hearing someone else say it in reference to her was odd and almost scary.

"You make it sound so… Normal,"

"Because it is,"

"You lost me,"

"Let me rephrase. It is normal to give into your desires; nearly killing them is the slightly odd part. However, at this moment, that can't happen. Eventually I am sure you will be able to enjoy a simple kiss and perhaps more," she needed no elaboration, "Until then, you will have to accept this as normal,"

"Normal," she snorted, "Normality isn't exactly common within freaks,"

"Freaks," he said the word with obvious distaste.

"Look, I know you all think that these things, these so called gifts, make up special. But let's face it, let's be real, we aren't special, we are freaks,"

"Why do you hate yourself so much?"

"Hate myself?"

"You talk about yourself as if you are some awful mistake of nature," his brows knitted together with slight concern. Before she could admit that that was how she felt about herself, Pink Floyd's "The Wall" began to play. Nathan pulled out his phone, checking the caller ID. Rogue couldn't help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow at his ringtone which, for some reason, seemed exceedingly out of character for him. He only shrugged before answering it.

"Hello, is something wrong? No… She's fine," he paused, glancing at her. His smile faded but was not replaced by a frown, "That's to be expected, right, yes I'll tell her. Make sure he is being monitored. I am sure he is fine given the extent of his mutation, but it's better safe than sorry. Yes, alright, we will be back soon, bye," he hung up the phone and grimaced.

"What's wrong?" Rogue demanded.

"Well nothing is wrong," he shrugged slightly. "But…"

"But what?"

"Logan has fallen asleep and no one seems to be able to wake him up. He isn't in a coma or anything, but apparently you took quite a bit out of him and his body is recovering by shutting down for a while. It is not really that surprising and it is actually a good thing. The only bad thing is not knowing whether or not his body will shut down further and slip into a coma. As I had told Storm, his mutation, his ability to heal, should keep him from suffering from anything serious. Nothing to worry about," Nathan gave her a reassuring smile. Although she believed him, she still felt awful. She was the cause of the whole thing. Rogue began to wonder whether or not returning to the school had been a good idea. After all, if she had stayed behind, she and Logan never would have had a chance to pursue their feelings and she never would have hurt him. Things would have been a million times simpler. A small part of her began to boil. This part was the one she had pushed down so long ago, the part that wanted die.

Yes, death would seem like an extreme decision to any normal sane person. The problem was, although sane, Rogue was far from normal. Two months after her powers had returned, she had become extremely depressed. Her inability to enjoy the simple luxury of touch was enough to send her spiraling into darkness. She had talked to Harpy who had tried to help, but in the end that depression never went away, it just hid itself in the shadows of her mind. Now, with what had taken place between her and Logan, she felt that terrible depression begin to leak from its corner and slowly creep to the front her brain. However, this was not something she would ever admit to. Only Harpy knew the truth of her lurking darkness and she intended to keep it that way.

"Come on," Nathan finally said, "Time to go back and make sure our dear friend hasn't slipped away yet. Waitress? Check please!"


	12. Awake

**Yes, I know. I have been incredibly lazy and have not bothered to even work on this story much. I guess that's what you get when you decide to start writing like five ongoing fanfictions at the same time! Anyway, I am very thankful for those of you who still bother to read this thing, and even more thankful to those who take the time to review it. I absolutely LOVE reviews *hint hint*. Please enjoy this next chapter and the more reviews and views I get, the better, and more quickly uploaded, the next chapter will be!**

Rogue burst through the doors of the school, storming through the halls to Logan's room. She grabbed the doorknob but before she could turn it, a hand closed over hers.

"Rogue, let him rest," Nathan's voice was very close to her ear.

"I have to make sure he is okay," she protested sternly, slipping her hand from his. She whipped around, catching a gasp in her throat as she realized how close their bodies were.

"He is fine, trust me. Liam is in there with him, monitoring his brain and body. If something happens I'm sure you will be the first to know. Well, after me that is," he chuckled, not bothering to take a step back. Secretly, he liked the close proximity. Rogue's mind probably would have been in the same place had her thoughts not been occupied by the thought of Logan slipping into a coma or dying.

"Look, I almost killed him. I think that gives me the right to at least go check on him, okay?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I guess there isn't much harm in it. Just don't try to shake him away or anything,"

"Thank you," she smiled, practically bolting into his room.

Rogue had to take a moment to regain her composure as her gaze fell upon Logan. He looked normal, healthy, like the Logan she loved. The only difference was, he was completely peaceful, almost eerily so. She was used to the loud energetic man who almost was never completely peaceful. Even while he slept he usually stirred due to a nightmare. Now, however, there wasn't a single sign that he was even alive aside from the steady rhythm of the rise and fall of his chest and the flush on his cheeks. Rogue approached the bed cautiously, giving Liam who was sitting in a nearby armchair, an acknowledged nod.

"How is he?" She whispered.

"Fine, sleeping," he shrugged casually.

"Amazing how a short amount of time could cause this," she shook her head.

"It wasn't that short," he pointed out.

"Well… How do you know?"

"I've been monitoring his mind which means his thoughts as well. I still can't break through the wall of his memories, but his upfront thoughts are very clear right now, like a movie. He has been continuously playing your kiss over and over. It's like he has a replay button in his head and he just keeps pushing it," he chuckled lightly. Rogue felt her face grow hot at the thought of Liam seeing that moment multiple times.

"Oh,"

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Liam said.

"Right, yeah I know," she turned back to Logan, feeling that familiar throb in her chest. Even while unconscious he could still make her weak in the knees. She placed her hand on his forehead, brushing a few stray brown hairs away from his face. This would be the moment that she would lean down and press her lips to his head. However, that was definitely a terrible idea. Instead, she resorted to intertwining her fingers with his. His palms were surprisingly warm, even through her silken gloves.

"I'm sorry Logan" she sighed quietly. Liam did not have to read her mind to realize that she wanted to be alone. He excused himself politely, deciding to wait right outside the door. Rogue was thankful for that. "I blame you for this," she said once she was alone. "You would not listen to me. I told you it was dangerous but oh no, you just had to challenge that didn't you? This can't happen again, just to let you know, I won't let it,"

She brushed her fingers from her unoccupied hand over his cheek, sighing heavily. She wished he would wake up, that he would squeeze her hand and tell her that it was okay that she almost killed him, but he couldn't. He was sleeping, very deeply too. It was… Cute? Oh jeez, even unconscious he still looked like a God to her. His features were completely relaxed without a hint of stress that usually kept all his facial muscles tensed. This total relaxation revealed the soft nature of his face. How had she never noticed just how defined and nearly perfect his structure was? How had she never noticed how brilliantly soft his hair looked? It probably had something to do with the fact that she was normally distracted by the large muscles that covered almost every inch of his body. He wasn't grotesquely built, but rather perfect in her eyes. Everything about him radiated how strong and powerful he was. Even if she did not know he was a nearly invincible mutant with indestructible claws she would have been intimidated by him. Intimidated and attracted…

"Sometimes I wonder what you see in me," she sighed almost miserably. She felt so average compared to all of the other women she had caught staring at him. Not that she could blame them, but still. After Jean she never expected him to ever be able to look at her as a possibility. Jean was beautiful, gorgeous to be exact. With her deep red hair and enviable body there was no way Logan would ever be able to settle for less. Or at least, that was how Rogue felt. A wave of sadness washed over her at the thought. He really was just settling, wasn't he? He couldn't have the unmatchable beauty named Jean so he settled for what was left, which was Rogue. Her stomach twisted in a sad sickly manner. She hated this.

"Rogue?" A muffled voice sounded on the other side of the door.

"Yeah?"

"Is he awake, I'm picking up some brain activity," Liam informed her. Her brow furrowed as she glanced back down at Logan. Sure enough, he had begun to stir. His earlier relaxed features had stiffened slightly as his head rolled to the side. He was waking up.

"Yeah, I think he is waking up," she called back. The door opened and both Nathan and Liam entered. Nathan eyed her hand which was still intertwined with Logan's with what appeared to be jealousy. Rogue did not really notice though. Liam's fingers flickered to his temples as he shut his eyes. A second later a slow smile crawled over his face.

"He is fine. You didn't cause any damage, he was just recovering, and that's all. Once he is fully awake he will be fine to go run a marathon or whatever he does for fun,"

Nathan did not feel like mentioning that he somewhat wished that Logan was still sleeping. Part of him wanted more time to get to know Rogue. Yes, he knew that she was not his nor would she ever be. That did not put out his attraction or fascination with the goth girl in front of him. He hated this selfish part of him. It had never shown itself until now.

"Logan? You okay?" She leaned down and whispered into his ear.

"Hmm?" Logan mumbled in his throat. Liam and Rogue let out long sighs and relaxed.

"Thank God," she laughed lightly. She gave his hand a tight squeeze as his eyes opened.

"Why is everyone in my room?" He asked with a puzzled expression. None of them could help but start to laugh.

"You gave us a bit of a scare. No more kissing your girlfriend okay?" Liam patted him heartily on the shoulder.

"Kiss… Oh!" He exclaimed, suddenly remembering. His eyes flickered to Rogue and he gave her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry about that. I must have scared you,"

"Yeah, more than the first time actually," she admitted, remembering how frightened she had been the very first time she ever thought she had killed him. That moment had not been nearly as scary as this time, mostly due to her more developed feelings.

"As long as you don't start beating yourself up over it," he yawned, starting to sit up only to fall right back down. "Damn head rush," Nathan chuckled lightly at this. "It was worth it though," he winked at Rogue, sitting up successfully this time.

"Yeah well it's not going to happen again for a while," she warned.

"I figured that,"

Logan stared up at Rogue and felt a small swelling in his chest. He had only felt this way about one other woman, and even then it had not been so strong. He was head over heels in love with her. Knowing that a kiss was out of the question, he reached out and pinched his favorite strands of her hair between his fingers tips. He watched her cheeks darken slightly and was unable to keep a smile from forming on his lips. He loved it when she blushed.

"Well we are going to have to work hard at this because it's going to become hard staying away from you," he whispered in a low voice, one that made Rogue shiver lightly.

"Behave yourself," she warned. He scoffed.

"I'm not sure I'm capable of behaving,"

"Well for both of your sakes I suggest you learn," Nathan added light-heartedly, though deep inside he felt a gnawing at his stomach. Watching the two interact so easily and obviously affectionately made him ache for someone of his own… Someone like Rogue… Logan's eyes flickered to the young doctor and smile spread wide over his face as if he was just now realizing he was here.

"Hey man, finally decided to show your face to the light of day instead of cooping yourself up in your lab?" Logan landed a hard pat on his back.

"Decided? More like forced due to your unfortunate condition,"

"I wouldn't call it unfortunate," he shrugged.

"Right. Anyway, don't expect me to stay out here long. I'll probably return to my dark little corner before dinner," Nathan shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Oh come on, we haven't really hung out in two months. What happened to getting drunk and racing motorcycles?" Logan almost pouted. Rogue couldn't help but arch a puzzled brow. Race motorcycles. From her short encounter with Nathan, she had not taken him for the type to do anything wild. He seemed so reserved and peaceful; more like the type to do yoga or go for long scenic jogs.

"Perhaps we'll do that again soon. Right now, however, I'm busy," he apologized. The two men looked at each other with brotherly fondness and Rogue couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. She had allowed herself to give into temptation with one of Logan's best friends. That was probably the number one rule in the non-existent girl handbook. You just don't cheat on your boyfriend with his best friend. It wasn't cheating though, she tried to remind and convince herself rather unsuccessfully.

"Well better make it soon, this place is boring,"

"You know," Rogue piped up, "If it's so boring why don't you and I do something fun?" She raised an almost suggestive eyebrow.

"What do you have in mind?" Logan grinned.

"Well," she smirked, "I can ride a motorcycle,"

**The speed I update is based on interest. The more interest the faster I update. For all you fans of this story, better start reviewing! My new Adventure Time fanfiction is becoming rather popular so I've been focusing on that. Do you really want to have to wait because of a fanfiction based on a stupid cartoon? No? THEN PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF X-MEN, REVIEW! Love you all!**


	13. The Accident

**I know it's been like 4 months, but between work, school, and just being a teenager, I don't have a whole lot of time to write like I want to. Anyways, please enjoy this next chapter. **

Rogue could not believe that Logan had taken up on her offer to ride motorcycles. He had always been protective of her and therefore she was sure he would object to the idea of her speeding down the road next to him. However, although he still looked a little unsure with her sitting upon the large bike, he seemed eager to have some fun.

"You know how to ride right?" He asked.

"Yeah, Harpy taught me a few years ago," she shrugged.

"You know," he smiled, "You look beautiful right now," his eyes grazed over her body which was decked out in tight leather. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, the few white wisps framed her face perfectly. She looked dangerous covered in black, but also tempting to him. He reached out his hand and gently brushed his favorite strands of hair away from her face. She shivered lightly, wishing that she could press her face into his palm.

"Thanks," she breathed.

"Come on, let's go," he hopped onto his own bike, looking badass as ever.

The couple rode down the long winding road through the forest. The wind playfully made Rogue's hair dance behind her. She dared to go fast, even pulling slightly ahead of Logan who watched with both shock and partial fear. He knew she could handle herself, but part of him was still protective and wanted nothing more than to make sure she was safe at all times.

Rogue, however, could think of nothing else but the exhilaration she was feeling. She had ridden before, but it had always been in the city where cops patrolled and the traffic was mean. Here she could go fast, she could enjoy herself, and she was with Logan. It was easy for her to understand why Logan had always favored motorcycles, they were so free.

Unfortunately, Rogue's inexperience towards the open road also was her downfall. In the city there was never a worry about animals. Out there, on the other hand, was mostly forest. Undoubtedly there were animals wandering through the trees. Every so often they would make an appearance on the road, and it just so happened to be one of those moments.

All she saw was a flash of brown fur, and then everything went black.

Logan watched with utter horror and helplessness as a deer bolted from the cover of the trees into the road right in front of Rogue. With no time to react, she hit it and went flying. Thankfully, she was wearing a helmet and leather, saving her from dying and being skinned alive, but she hit the ground with enough force to knock her out in merely a second. Logan practically jumped off his bike running up to her unmoving body.

"Rogue!" He screamed, indescribable terror turning his veins cold. He was careful not to touch her in fear he would cause further damage. He brought his ear down to her mouth and to his relief, her hot breath met his cheek.

He yanked out his cellphone and called Storm, informing her of what happened.

While waiting he inspected her further. Black and purple bruises were already blooming on her pale skin and blood matted her hair from under the helmet.

"Please be okay, please be okay," he whispered. An idea ran through his head, one he knew would anger her, but he couldn't think of anything else. He reached out a bare hand and pressed it to her cheek. It would hurt, it always did, but he didn't care. He would save her. Except… Why wasn't his life being sucked from him? Why wasn't she taking what she needed?

He checked her breathing again. She was still alive. He cupped her face with both hands. Still nothing. Logan leaned down and softly kissed her bloodied lips, but nothing happened.

"Come on Marie, please," he kissed her again.

Again.

Again.

Nothing would happen. Tears brimmed his eyes and his stomach twisted into an aweful knot. That's how Storm and Nathan found them, Logan crying over Rogue's broken body.

They quickly brought her back to the school, needing no explanation as to what happened. Logan wanted to be in the room, but Nathan insisted that he would only get in his way and if he really wanted to help, he would stay out of the way. Knowing that he was right, Logan stormed off, both angry and upset.

He was angry because he knew he shouldn't have allowed her to do something so dangerous. He was supposed to protect her and this wasn't the first time he had failed to do so. Images of Magneto's machine ran through his mind like a movie and he cringed. Lost in thought, he almost ran into Liam.

"Hey! Logan what's u…"He trailed off as images of the accident were projected from Logan's mind to his. "Rogue got into an accident. I'm so sorry," he shook his head solemnly.

"I shouldn't have let her even touch the bike. It was too dangerous, I should have…"

"You can't shelter her all the time, you know," he pointed out.

"Well I sure as hell am going to try," he growled. Then he remembered something, something maybe only Liam would be able to explain to him.

"Why could I touch her?" Logan asked. Liam's brow furrowed in confusion, obviously not understanding the question. "She is alive, but when I touched her nothing happened. I could touch her. Why?"

"Logan, how could I possibly know? I would have to spend some time with her to figure that out,"

"Could an injury take away a mutant's powers?"

"Take away? No, it's a gene. However, the power themselves can be cut off from us. The abilities themselves are accessible in the way water is accessible through a faucet. Most of us can turn this 'faucet' on and off as we please. Some of us, like Rogue for instance, have the faucet permanently turned to the on setting. However, I suppose an accident may be able to turn the faucet towards off and keep it stuck that way" he shrugged.

"So Rogue may be cut off from her powers?"

"It's a possibility,"

Logan didn't know whether to be upset or relieved by this idea. He would be able to touch her, which would make his and her life so much easier. However, her powers were a part of her. He hated the thought of losing what made her so special. That's not to say that he would not love her, nor think she was special, but her powers made her that much more perfect to him.

It was a good two hours before Nathan came out of the room, looking pale and exhausted.

"Is she okay?" Logan demanded.

"She's fine," he said with a little irritation.

"Can I see her?"

"She is asleep Logan,"

Nathan was angry, to say the least. Logan should never have allowed Rogue to put herself in so much danger. It was so stupid!

Alright, he knew it wasn't really Logan's fault. In all honesty, he just felt oddly protective of the girl. He didn't understand these weird emotions. At one time, Rogue had simply been a girl in Logan's stories. Now, she was a girl that he had indescribable feelings for.

Seeing her injured had brought him pain. He wanted to do more but he had to be realistic. The body needed time and there was only so much the medical world could do to help. She would be fine. She had a rather bad concussion, road rash, a split lip, and some nasty looking bruises, but she would be fine.

"What about her powers?"

"What about them?" Nathan wondered.

"Are they still there?" Logan asked.

"I don't know. I'm a doctor, I wear gloves," he reminded him.

"Right… Can we go in?"

"We?"

"Liam and I,"

"I don't really see why not, just don't try to wake her,"

Logan didn't say anything else and simply ran into the room, Liam following closely at his heels.

When he saw Marie he felt like crying all over again, and he wasn't one to cry. Her pale complexion was littered with bruises and scrapes. She looked so, so pale.

As Logan stared at her, Liam went to work. He knew what he was searching for and he had gotten used to searching for it. Storm often had him search new student's minds to find the extent of their mutations. Normally, he had no trouble finding Rogue's so-called 'faucet'. However, Logan was right, her powers did seem to be mostly gone. But he still knew where to locate the source and when he found it, he found something surprising.

Originally, Liam had suspected that her powers had been completely cut off. However, as he pushed through her mind, he found something rather different. True, they were shut off at the moment, but they were not cut off. In fact, he was rather certain that, with some concentration and practice, she would be able to control them at her will.

Rogue would be able to touch again.

**Please review! I will love you if you do! **


	14. They Touch

'~*~'

It was another four hours before Rogue finally woke up. She felt… Hazy, but there was surprisingly no pain. However, upon closer inspection of her surroundings, she realized this was because she was hooked up to an IV which was dripping pain medication directly into her veins.

"Rogue," someone breathed with relief.

"Logan, what happened?" She asked, turning towards the concerned looking mutant beside her. Instead of answering he leaned down and placed his lips against hers. She immediately pulled away. "Logan!" Her brow furrowed with anger.

"It's okay," he whispered, as he tried to lean in again. Okay?

"I could have killed you last time and you want to try again? What's wrong with you?"

"Rogue, look," he held up one of her hands, which he had gently clasped in his own. His skin was bare, as was hers, and for a moment, all she could think about was how warm he was. However, reality hit her and she tried to pull away. Logan kept his hold firm, but not enough to hurt her, just enough to prove his point.

"Logan…"

"Rogue, I've been holding your hand for over an hour. You aren't hurting me,"

"Wh-" She tried to choke, but nothing would come out. Her eyes had widened to the point of bulging and her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. What the hell had happened? Why weren't her powers working?

"What's going on? Logan! What the hell is going on!" She started to panic.

"Calm down," a soothing voice interjected. She had not realized Liam was in the room until he stepped into her view. Immediately his presence calmed her, but only slightly. "You were in an accident and hit your head pretty badly. You have a concussion so I suggest you keep yourself under control before you hurt yourself," he smirked.

"Liam, why… Why am I… How did…"

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, really, but to make it short, you can touch again," his smirk grew into a genuine warm smile. She could see that he was being cheerful, but her veins went cold.

Rogue had taken the cure years ago, but never had she forgotten its effects. The feeling of absolutely loss. Granted, it was what she had wanted all along, but she would never forget how it felt to have an entire part of her identity, her being, stripped away from her. When she had regained her powers, it had been hard and disappointing, but at the same time, she had felt whole again. The fact that she had found a person willing to love her despite the restrictions had only made her feel more close to them. Marie had finally accepted herself, and now they were gone again. However, this time, it was not some cure and they would not come back eventually. This terrified her.

"They're gone?" She whispered, barely audible.

"No! I probably should have added that in there sooner. No, they aren't gone, you are still a mutant, that will never go away. No, what I was meaning to say was, you should be able to control yourself now. Your mutation is no longer permanently active," he amended.

"So wait, I can… I still have them?"

"Yes," Logan smiled.

"How? I don't understand?" The corners of her mouth were turned down with bewilderment.

Liam proceeded to explain the whole thing, using his sink and faucet analogy in order to help her understand. With each word, Rogue began to feel pleasantly light-headed. It was as if the world had fallen away. There was no way for anyone else to understand how monumental the moment truly was for her.

It was an indescribable sweetness. She could still feel them, the powers that she had so long despised. They were there, hidden in the depths of her mind, patiently waiting to be released at her command. With them no longer active, she was finally, truly, free.

Tears began to well in her eyes and Logan suddenly looked concerned.

"Marie, what's wrong?"

"No, I-I'm not sad," she laughed between soft cries, "I'm happy,"

She took Logan's hand and pressed it to her face, ignoring the dull ache from her bruises. His skin was so warm, rough, calloused, and perfect in every way. The world melted away and the only thing that remained was her and Logan. The only thing she could comprehend was the way he felt, the wonderful feeling of those hands she had yearned to touch since they met.

Logan couldn't help but to smile fondly at the sight of the girl. Her hot tears wetted his hand, but he did not mind. How long had he imagined what her skin would feel like? Her cheek was the softest thing he had ever touched, like satin or silk. His heart thudded almost painfully at this. His other hand reached up to cup her face, catching her attention. She met her teary eyes with his and smiled.

This time when he bent down, she did not push him away. True, she flinched out of learned apprehension, but she did not push him away. Instead, she allowed him to bring his lips down upon hers.

The kiss in the danger room paled in comparison to this kiss. There was no danger, no reason for her to pull away, and finally she was allowed to enjoy herself. His lips were still rough, sexy, and so amazingly warm. Her lips moved against his greedily, passionately, and desperately. He was surprised by the sudden enthusiasm but had no plans in protesting.

The only thing that would come to his mind when trying to describe the softness of her lips was a fresh flower petal. He deepened the kiss, pressing his lips more forcefully upon hers and she did not protest.

Liam half coughed half chuckled in attempt to get the two lovers attention. They both turned to him and both immediately blushed, having forgotten the student in the room.

"I hate to interrupt, I really do, but Nathan is going to want to check on her now that she is awake," he pointed out.

As if on cue Nathan came in the room, surprised to see the young girl awake, and crying.

"Is everything okay?" He wondered with slight alarm. That's when he noticed Logan's hand still resting tenderly on her cheek. Logan noticed this at the same time and quickly dropped it, embarrassed by the open display of affection. "Her powers are gone?"

"No," she shook her head, "They're just manageable,"

It took a second for him to process what she meant, but then he understood. Although he should have felt ecstatic, he realized there was a small part of him disappointed. Before the accident, he was the only one truly able to touch her, and now Logan and Rogue were free to be together. He knew his jealousy was unjustified and completely irrational, but it was there nonetheless.

"Good, just don't overwhelm yourself, you still have a fairly nasty concussion," he warned, quickly checking her vitals. The routine things were much easier now that he didn't have to worry about being killed. He left them alone shortly after, not really wanting to stick around. To his surprise, Liam followed after him.

"Nathan! Wait!" He called after the doctor, who was walking a bit too fast.

"What do you need Liam?" He called back politely, his pace never faltering.

"Wait, look, I'm sorry! I know none of them understand and that must be hard. I just want to let you know I'm here if you need to talk,"

"What are you talking about?"

"You like Rogue,"

"She is in love with Logan,"

"That's not really the point though," Liam said seriously, finally catching up.

"There isn't a point to be made, she isn't mine. Besides, I hardly know her, it is not a big deal,"

"You can't lie to me," he pointed out.

"Look, I'm tired…"

"I know, I just, I know how it feels okay? I may be some stupid teenager, but I know how it feels,"

"I really doubt that," Nathan honestly did not believe someone so young, or rather someone as collected as Liam could possibly understand the turmoil of emotions Nathan was feeling.

"I can prove it," Liam grabbed Nathan's shoulder and spun him around to face him. Without warning, Liam began to project images, experiences, feelings into Nathan's mind.

It was like Nathan was watching everything through Liam's eyes. At first, all he could think about was how tall the kid was! But then he realized what was happening in each vision. Involuntarily his heart began to flutter at the sight of a pretty young blond. Nathan recognized her, but only vaguely. She was short, blonde, and had quite beautiful blue eyes. She definitely was new and wondered if this was Heather, the girl Logan had been sent to get and ended up coming back with Rogue as well.

So Liam liked this Heather girl? The feelings in his chest and the heat that he felt rise to his face only confirmed this suspicion. However, as the vision changed, so did the feeling. He felt a terrible stab and his stomach was twisting uncomfortably. Heather was giggling lightly as one of the other male students, Nick, began to flirt with her. The pain was identical, if not worse, than the one Nathan was feeling.

The vision melted away and suddenly Nathan was himself again.

"I… Sorry I assumed…"

"Don't be sorry, it's life, the point is, it sucks. I just wanted to let you know that you can talk to me if you need to. I know you are mostly the suffer in silence type, but that can be lonely,"

"Jesus kid, how the hell are you a student? Thanks, Liam," Nathan smiled at the boy before giving him a polite nod and walking away.

**Well… So it's been a while! Honestly, the only reason this chapter exists is because it's five in the morning (I have yet to sleep) and in my delusional tiredness I decided to write and this was what I was craving. Weird? Perhaps. **

**Anyway, please review and favorite and follow and just do everything any fanfiction writer would want. I love you guys, seriously, you peeps are so awesome! **


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